P3P: Stardust To Remember You By
by The Detective Prince
Summary: I'm no good at summaries. Minako x Shinjiro with a twist later in the story. Some Minako x Akihiko too. HIATUS
1. Prologue: Let Go, Just Jump In

So. This isn't my first fanfic but it is the first one I've decided to put up. X3 It's a sort of Minako x Shinjiro with a twist sort of thing. I was never good at explaining things. Also since I'm halfway through writing chapter one it won't be too long until chapter one comes along. All my chapter names will be from song lyrics (the prologue title being from Let Go by Frou Frou because it always reminded me of going on a journey somewhere) I just thought it fit Minako's love of music. Remember to review! XD T'would be appreciated. Enjoy. I hope.

**~ The Detective Prince**

* * *

**Prologue**

**So Let Go, Jump In.**

It wasn't the first time she'd moved and she was sure wouldn't it be the last. But on that morning of April 6th something felt different, something even Minako Arisato could pick up on.

Dazed, she was awakened from her slumber by an alarm clock screaming in her ear. Naturally she had tried to ignore it but after 2 minutes her patience has worn thin. Minako slammed her hand down on the clock to silence it and then sat up, noting the sunlight trickling through the curtains of her small room.

She had almost forgotten that she was returning to Iwatodai that day, with a lazy yawn she scooted out of bed and found a note on her desk.

_All your things are downstairs; your train tickets are in your bag. Be sure to leave plenty of time to get there as there's been a lot of delays on the trains today. Food in the fridge, Aunt Miyuki._

"She didn't even wake me up to say goodbye...Oh well, there's always food!" and so with a smile on her face Minako rushed to get ready.

She was slightly apprehensive to be returning to where her parents died but she was determined that wouldn't get to her. 10 years was a long time and she was ready for anything. With her auburn hair tied up, pinned up with her hairclips arranged with XXII, her passionate red eyes were glistening with determination,

Minako walked out of the house she'd called home for 10 years and began her walk through the sleepy suburbs to the train station.

She felt it would be a good time to plug in her MP3 player and put on her headphones, for a brief moment the world was silent and then...filled with noise.

It was just how she liked it. She'd never had told her aunt but the suburbs weren't for her. Minako longed to go to a city. Somewhere where everyone was up to something and it was full of strange and wonderful mysteries. A city that never slept, some place where someone was always awake and there was always noise, always life.

By the time she'd gotten to the train station she realised her aunt had been right. There were delays on almost all her trains. Her 9 o'clock arrival was seemingly impossible.

_No. I won't let it bother me! Minako, get on those trains and start moving! _

The brunette pulled out a pork bun and began to eat.

Her first train was an hour late and the one after that was half an hour late. Her third one was another hour and the final train to Tatsumi Port Island was half an hour late.

It was when she boarded this train that it happened. She was just standing waiting to get off at Iwatodai when she fell asleep.

An image of a butterfly fluttering past her eyes, and then, ever so faintly at first was a _tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…_It was getting louder and louder and just floating before her eyes was an old silver pocket watch.

Minako's eyes snapped open as the train jolted and she realised she was nearly at Iwatodai. Picking up her bags, she prepared to get off the train, realising that it would be midnight when she did.

_Midnight…I wanted to be in bed before that happened…_But all the delays had caused her to be walking around late at night during _that _time.

Just moments after exiting the train the whole world went silent, lifeless yet there was an air of danger.

A sickening green glow was cast upon the world as the moon beamed down oppressively. Liquid as red as Minako's irises began dripping down causing the only trickle of sound in that speechless world.

Some place where someone was always awake…That's all she'd hoped for. But even Minako couldn't escape the Hellish landscape before her.

However, even she could feel it.

Her journey had truly begun.

Minako had a whole ordeal before her. She didn't know it would be tough or that she would meet so many people along the way. But she did know that finally she'd get the answers she'd been searching for.


	2. Chapter 1: Need To Be Bold

I had a completely different chapter planned out for this but instead I got rid of it and rewrote a new one. I'm happier with this one and decided to focus on Minako's friendship with Junpei and Akihiko. Again the title is from a song this one is from I'd Rather Be With You by Joshua Radin. It makes me think of Minako/Shinji. Not sure why.

Oh! I forgot in the Prologue but I don't own P3P or anything else...Trust me...If I did...*sighs* Read, Review and again enjoy, I hope.

**Chapter One**

**Need to be Bold, Need to jump in the Cold Water**

As September began things had begun to pick up pace. After the eventful proceedings of the summer break, Minako was almost glad to be back at school.

She even turned up early and had spent time eating on the roof in a rare peaceful moment of her life.

Investigating the Dark Hour had been essential but Minako felt as if lately it'd just drained her usually bright and carefree personality. Even Junpei, her best friend, had realised something was wrong with her.

Her hopes that summer break would actually mean a break had been crushed. Instead it was filled with studies and tennis practice and even their trip to Yakushima had caused drama despite the fact that her and Junpei swore they'd make the trip fun. For just a few hours they'd been relaxed, even with their new team member Aigis.

"Heh, I knew I'd find you up here, what you eating?" Junpei's voice called out from the door of the roof. A small smile appeared on her lips as she turned to face him.

"Curry bread. No you can't have any," she added as he attempted to ask, there was a brief silence between the two. "Hey, Junpei, do you think things are just going to get more difficult from here on?" occasionally the pair would have deep conversations, she would usually instigate them, and this seemed like one of those times when she needed to hear something from him.

"What are you talking about? With you as Leader things will just get easier and easier!" he laughed and gestured her to follow him to class. "I was going to ask you if you wanna spend some time at the arcade after school. Blow off some steam, ya know," the girl looked at him, mildly surprised. The arcade sounded just the sort of thing she needed.

"Ha! Sounds like you didn't learn from last time but if you really want me to wipe the floor with you again then I guess I can make time!" she boasted, punching his arm lightly.

"Sure thing. I won't go easy on you this time just because you're a girl!" the argument continued down to class and, thanks to the beauty of passing notes, it also carried on in class andeven Yukari got involved.

* * *

After school, just as promised, Junpei and Minako had headed down to Game Panic and spent hours there. It had eased her worries for a while but as soon as they reached the Dorm and she saw _him _Minako's mood dipped again.

"…Where've you been, Minako-chan?" Akihiko looked up at the door as soon as the pair walked in.

"Game Panic. We're not going Tartarus tonight and I had the shift off at work so me and Junpei decided to blow off some steam," the silver haired boxer didn't seem convinced by this explanation, no matter how true it was.

It had been just over a month now and Minako was still frustrated by the wall that seemed to have built up between her and Akihiko.

The Leader inspected the lounge and found that now it was only her and Akihiko there, against her better judgement and despite having homework, she decided it was time to try and talk to him.

"So, where are the others?" a perfectly normal conversation starter as she sat down in the armchair hoping the TV was on so she wouldn't have to meet that piercing yet gentle gaze of her senpai that still made her heart race.

"Fuuka and Yukari are helping Ken with his homework, Junpei just went upstairs if you didn't notice and Mitsuru is working," that didn't account for her favourite member and their newest.

"What about Koromaru and Aigis?"

"Upstairs as well," Minako gave him a confused look. "I know it's odd but I don't think it's anything to…"

"We said go away Junpei! Just stay downstairs for a moment, will you!" Yukari's voice suddenly rang out from above them.

"W-What'd I do?" the victim asked as he ran to the safety of the lounge.

"What were you saying?" the girl whispered to Akihiko jokingly. He seemed to have a knowing smile on his face.

"Nothing,"

"You knew she'd do that didn't you?" and although she received no reply she didn't feel as if she needed one. Junpei was panting apparently bewildered at his harsh treatment.

"Nothing, we've been sentenced downstairs. Or rather, you two have been. I might be allowed…" her sentence was cut off by Yukari hearing she was downstairs.

"Oh! Mina-chan! Fuuka, is Aigis ready?" Ken was the first to return to the lounge, looking oddly uncomfortable but she assumed it was because he still wasn't used to living with a group of rowdy teenagers…and Mitsuru.

Koromaru was close behind immediately taking his place sitting next to the armchair Minako was using.

Finally Yukari, Fuuka and Aigis appeared, Aigis wearing a Gekkoukan uniform.

_I have to say I wasn't expecting that…She looks human…almost._

"Why're you in a school uniform? A winter one as well…" Junpei had been dumbfounded into silence it seemed.

"Well we were talking and Aigis said she wanted to go to school and then I mentioned it to Mitsuru as a joke and she enrolled her! Starting tomorrow she'll be in our year," Yukari seemed excited at the prospect of having another girl in their year from SEES.

"Oh wow! That's an awesome idea!" their leader could sense they wanted her approval with this and was happy enough to give it.

"I will protect you at school as well then." The robot's dull voice promised. It had worried Minako for a while the way the robot spoke but not as much as the way she looked.

Like she was pulled straight out of a dream from long ago or something but then again lots of children dream of robots, why would she be any exception?

"I'm happy you'll be at school! I hope you'll be in our class! Now I'm off to cook," she shot Akihiko a look of 'follow me' hoping he'd pick up on it and by the time Minako reached the kitchen the boxer was close on her heels.

"You wanted to talk to me?" he was keeping quite a distance from her just to be safe.

"Huh? Oh yea. Are we okay? Me and you?" the brunette was trying to keep it casual by looking for the cup ramen she'd bought the night before, again avoiding eye contact.

Akihiko however seemed thrown off by this question. "W-what? Of course." She could tell he wasn't lying but then…what was it she was feeling from him?

_I worry too much. I guess…_

"Hm. I can't find my ramen, damn," she heaved a heavy sigh realising she'd have to spend more money now going out and getting food.

"Hagekure?" Minako considered this for a moment. If they really were okay then it seemed only right to go out for a meal and besides food was food. She nodded; feeling slightly more relaxed as they walked out of the dorm together.

The night was like it had always been in Iwatodai, it wasn't too hot or cold and it certainly wasn't too quiet either. Cars bustled down and in the distance they could hear the monorail zooming down the tracks. This was exactly what she had needed and Minako felt like she'd found a home. Not the dorm in particular but just the city that surrounded them and once the Dark Hour was gone, it'd be perfect. She felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders as she reflected on _why _they were fighting.

Slowly a grin appeared and she stood up straight again. "Akihiko-senpai…Do you ever feel like you lost your reason for fighting sometimes?" she'd broken the comfortable silence as they reached the strip mall.

"Lost the reason for fighting? No. I can't say that I have but I think sometimes the amount of fighting we have to do can be overwhelming. But we need to be stronger to keep these Shadows at bay," with this his left hand was brought up and clenched into a fist.

"We do? I guess you're right but first we eat!" she grabbed his hand leading him into the ramen shop.

* * *

**Gekkoukan High -Lunchtime- **

_What? Where am I?_

It was the Dark Hour in the world surrounding Minako. Her red eyes took in the landscape. It was a residential area, or rather used to be. But again the only sound she could hear was the blood dripping down and that familiar ticking noise.

Her pale hands were grasping the same tiny clock that she'd seen months before that had stayed in her dreams ever since.

_BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ._

The sudden noise jolted Minako nearly off of her chair.

"Whoa, Mina-tan. It's not like you to fall asleep," Junpei grabbed her shoulder to help her stay balanced.

"He's right, for once, you don't look well at all," Yukari turned from her desk with a worried expression that Minako met with a smile.

"No, I'm fine, just a weird dream," a carefree laugh seemed to ease her friends concerns just a little. Aigis was watching her intently though.

"You received a text message," the blonde stated for a moment their Leader looked confused however she realised that was what must have woken her up. She quickly flipped up the screen on her red phone and inspected it. She had, indeed, received a text. And it was from Akihiko, a light pink tint appeared on her cheeks.

Akihiko barely text her and definitely not while she was in class but she realised this could only mean one thing. It was to do with the Dorm or SEES.

"_I have something important to take care of after school. I want you to come. I'll be waiting by the gate, meet me there,_" her hopes were dashed slightly but that did reinforce the fact that they were okay.

"He wants to meet you after school, eh?" Junpei mocked, reading over her shoulder. Minako was about to joke with him about it but Yukari snapped in.

"Do you _always _have to be so annoying? You can't just go around reading other people's messages ya know!" the argument faded into background noise though. She was too busy thinking about what Akihiko wanted from her after school.


	3. Chapter 2: Arrive, Smoke, Sleep

Well this was a quick update, mainly because I have flu right now and so I'm stuck at home. :( Shinji's in it...X3 hurray! I started to really concentrate on this chapter. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's coz it's the first appearance of Shinji and I wanted to get it just right. As usual chapter name is from a song called A Wish by Gregory and The Hawk. The song featured lately is called Remember Me by Leslie Parrish. Both are awesome song. :) Read and enjoy! And I still don't own anything from P3P or anything DAMN. .

**~ The Detective Prince**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Arrive, Smoke Cigarette, Sleep**

The hours seemed to drift slowly past Minako as she was sitting in the classroom, her knuckles white as she clutched her pen tightly. It was frustrating waiting.

_Why couldn't he have just said what he wanted in the message? _Her crimson eyes were trained solely on the clock. _One minute…_The clock, however, just mocked her with its slow, relentless ticking.

The bell rang out…_FINALLY! _The girl had to stop herself from leaping out of her chair and running out of the door as she shoved the necessary books into her bag and walked briskly out of the room which had imprisoned her long enough.

"Hey, Mina-tan! You forgot something!" Junpei yelled out to his friend as he watched her leave he quickly picked up one of her books and sighed, realising he'd just have to give it to her later.

"Akihiko-senpai!" Minako called as she jogged out to the school gates, trying to seem as natural as possible. The silver-haired Prince Charming looked up, a gleam of annoyance shimmering in his slate grey eyes. The girl lowered her hand as she noticed and her smile faded from her lips.

She then noticed he was carrying a suitcase, noticing her eye line he cleared his throat.

"We've gotta go get an old member…" he kept it brief just leading Minako away from an unsettling crowd of fangirls forming near them.

If Minako thought that his strange mood was bad enough nothing could have eased her worries on the journey to Iwatodai station. The pair sat in silence, Akihiko deep in thought and from the look of him, worrying thoughts.

She, however, was satisfied just waiting for him to talk to her. She guessed that it was the right course of action as he wasn't exactly a sociable person to begin with.

_Yup…There it is. The wall…_she suppressed a sigh as they got off of the monorail and headed down to the Ramen shop they'd been laughing and talking in just the night before.

As if by magic the member they'd been looking for was there, his burgundy pea coat and beanie gave him away instantly. He was the one who'd saved them from the punks when they were looking for Fuuka and the one in the hospital room when she, Junpei and Yukari were visiting Akihiko.

Junpei and Yukari had both been nervous around him but she couldn't help but sense certain gentleness in his glare, and glaring he was but like the Leader she was Minako just looked straight into his eyes. They moved to glare at Akihiko.

"I'm tired of this shit…" Shinjiro scoffed, his fierce look intensifying but her companion remained calm, like always.

"I'm sorry but this time I'm not asking..." _Asking what? Did I miss something? _Bemused, she chose to stay absolutely silent and hope that all would become clear as their conversation progressed.

"Ken Amada's joined…" _Ken? What does this have to do with Ken? _Minako pictured the small innocent boy wrapped up in their violent game and felt a sudden weight on her heart. He was only 10 and yet every night he was there with them, spear in hand ready to do what was right for SEES and, essentially, the entire city. Yes, she was deeply humbled by the young boy's plight.

"So you're the one leading the operations now, huh?" the girl was thrown back into the conversation with a jolt as her thoughts began to clear. Her throat went dry all of a sudden and her heart raced. _I'm not scared of him though…_She gave him a curious look and then smiled.

"Yep, that's me. Minako Arisato!" it surprised her how casually she could slip into her carefree façade. But for some reason, Shinjiro was giving her a strange look…Almost as if…_He can see right through me…_

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you fighting for?" Oh that question she'd been asking herself for so long. Did she really have an honest answer to the man in front of her who'd caused such a stir within? Suddenly she thought of Junpei, Yukari, Koromaru, Ken, Mitsuru, Fuuka, Akihiko and even Aigis. Then she thought about what she'd felt the night before when the city had been so…moving to her.

"To protect the people I care about…and…for my own sake as well…" the Leader looked up at him, her passionate red eyes burning with determination. Her hands still trembled as they clasped the hem of her skirt but she wouldn't show him the effect he was having on her. Never. Not this man.

"Is that so?" his eyebrows raised in mild amusement at the fierce look the small teenager before him was giving him. The sentence lingered for a moment before he realised he had to finish up with he'd been saying. "Well you do your thing; I'll do mine," her lips curved into a smile, a genuine one this time.

_If only I could do my thing and Junpei wouldn't try and interfere…Or Yukari…Or Fuuka…Or…_she realised the list went on and on. She left them to their social lives but they couldn't seem to leave her to her own. However thinking back to the loneliness she'd experienced in the suburbs she was glad of the company.

Minako homed back in on the conversation as they were walking down to the Dorm, there was talk about his room being vacant and then…

"Sheesh, another girl? First Mitsuru and now her…" Shinji sighed; Minako narrowed her eyes at him yet she was deeply moved and surprised when Akihiko pitched in to defend her.

"So what? She might be a girl but she's one hell of a…" sadly his futile protest was cut off by the other man who sighed heavily in exasperation.

"That ain't my point, numbskull…I'm saying you've gotta keep an eye out for her…Honestly…" her eyes widened in surprise, her heart quickened again and her jaw seemed to loosen as her mouth was left slightly parted in amazement.

_Keep an eye out for me? Really? Tch, I knew he looked like a softie_. She smirked triumphantly.

* * *

**Later That Night**

Another peaceful moment came along Minako's way in the form of taking Koromaru out for a walk to the shrine. She sat up on the horizontal bars of the climbing frame and gazed at the sky which, at the top of the frame, seemed almost as if she could reach out and grab one.

_A star? I know a certain Star that seems close and far right now too_ her mind dared her to think about Akihiko but once her eyes turned to the Moon her thoughts shifted once more. To the new member on their team.

"Shinjiro Aragaki, eh?" her mind travelled back to her earlier encounters with her. He seemed so gentle and yet so bitter at the same time. At the same time she was wondering how he knew Akihiko. They seemed to have known each other for a while. She groaned in annoyance as the thoughts swam through her mind. There was so much she didn't know about most of her team.

"What're you doing here?" a rough yet quiet voiced questioned, snapping her back into reality as she turned from the sky above her to what was below. _Speak of the devil…_It was Shinji. Again she smiled honestly at her team mate.

"I was taking Koromaru for a walk…" Minako looked to her surroundings for the aforementioned canine but he was nowhere to be seen. "Err…"

"He came back to the Dorm about half an hour ago…" Shinjiro could see the confusion on her face as plain as day which then shifted into an almost apologetic look.

"I must've been thinking too much again…" a lying grin stained her lips, leaving Shinjiro to glare at the girl once more.

"Tch, whatever, you should get going soon…" it seemed as though the man before her was scolding her but at the same time there was a hint of concern in his voice. Just a hint…

"Can we talk for a little while?" the Leader asked politely while he lit up his cigarette.

"Sure but don't expect me to go pouring my heart out to you like those other guys…"

_Yea as if, I wish they would every once in a while _she mused bitterly but then returned to the matter at hand.

"How long have you known Akihiko-senpai?"

"Does it matter?"

"Err…No. I guess it doesn't," she let the conversation dim, a look of disappointment turned up to the heavens above.

"Grow some backbone." The man stated bluntly in displeasure. Again her eyes were back on him.

"What?"

"If you wanna know something, don't just give up and look all depressed coz someone won't tell ya first time. Just shows it wasn't important then," he scoffed inhaling all the tobacco he could from his cigarette.

"Well maybe it was leading up to the important stuff and I just wanted to ease you into the conversation first!" she snapped, irritated by his condescending tone. It was his time to smile honestly now, just for a moment.

"Fine…Ask away," he'd play along a little this time.

"What's your persona called?"

"Castor."

"Any weaknesses?"

"Hell no."

"Speciality?"

"Physical attacks."

"Why'd you say Akihiko had to an eye out for me despite the fact I'm _his _leader?" Ah…Touché. Her barrage of questions came to a halt as she'd lured him into the 'important stuff'. He wasn't willing to play this far though. And yet for a moment he just looked at her in stunned silence. Her eyebrows raised in curiosity as she waited for his answer. Minako's ruby eyes were watching him like a hawk for any telling sign in his body language. It felt like he was being interrogated. In fact, he was a little but he'd agreed to it.

_Tch, strange girl…_Shinjiro thought, now taking more of an interest in the small teenager everyone seemed to rely on.

"Coz you _are _his leader…they're supposed to look out for you as much as you do them. Now get back to the Dorm and lemme finish this alone…" he scoffed hoping she'd buy the excuse. Thankfully she did and she leapt down from the climbing frame with the elegance and accuracy of a cat. She gave him another triumphant smirk and then walked back to the Dorm.

_Shinjiro Aragaki…What a surprising guy…I'm sure I'll enjoy being around him after a while _her thoughts seemed to linger in the breeze.

He watched her walk away all the while thinking to himself..._Minako Arisato. What a weird kid. Fun…but weird._

* * *

**Later -Minako's room- **

"Alright time to get down studying!" Minako placed her headphones over her ears and started up her music, desperate to finish her homework before the Dark Hour robbed her of her musical entertainment.

Slowly her pen was dragged over the pages of her book all the while her mind was focused on one thing.

"_If you wanna know something, don't just give up and look all depressed coz someone won't tell ya first time" _Shinjiro's voice resounded in her head over her precious music. It wasn't even as though what he'd said to her had moved her in any sort of profound way. It was simply his mysterious presence. She looked out of her window for a moment, gazing at the Moon.

There was something in his eyes that seemed to strike a chord with her. The way he held himself and the strange way he spoke to her. Her pen ceased movement for a moment while she reflected on these qualities, her music still going on in her ears. The image of a butterfly appeared before her.

"_Remember me; remember everything we used to be. _

_Can you feel my heart pounding, pounding will be forever. Will you? Remember you! Remember me! _

_I remember everything we used to be!_

_Coz my heart is still pumping, pumping will be forever. _

_Do you remember me?"_

Feeling as if her MP3 player was betraying her somehow in tune with the butterfly image she kept seeing Minako sighed and turned it off. Blaming tiredness she placed her book back in her bag along with the one she'd retrieved from Junpei earlier and went back to sleep.

Back to those dreams of the Dark Hour and the ticking clock…The butterfly seemed to be following her, even in her subconscious. And now she couldn't help but recall that song as well. Slowly Minako felt as though she was losing her mind…


	4. Chapter 3: When It Skips A Beat

Well I'm still not feeling well so another quick update! :) Theo's in this one for a while but it's mainly and Shinji Minako chapter. Ah! I'll have to put extra Akihiko in the next one! But at least there's some Koromaru in this one too! Mainly because I love Koromaru. If I got another dog I'd want him to be a Persona wielding kickass dog too! So...Chapter title is from Dreaming Of You by The Coral and at the beginning after Theo there's song lyrics from another song too, those ones are from Isabelle by Gregory and the Hawk. Reminds me of Minako/Shinji/Aki. *slaps self* Back on track! I don't own anything from Persona at all...If I did that hippie Jesus fella would be the first thing to go *glares* Enjoy!

**~ The Detective Prince**

**

* * *

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**Chapter 3**

**My Heart When It Skips A Beat**

Minako took the long route back to the Dorm from school the next day, stopping off to feed the stray cat she'd named Lulu and then going to the Velvet Room. To her surprise, Igor was nowhere to be found only his cruelly handsome assistant.

"Oh, Master Minako, my master isn't here at the present I'm afraid, what is it you need?" Theo bowed, his leather clad hands clasping the Compendium like usual.

"Err, actually I don't remember myself," her eyes drifted to the plush carpet of the elevator. Theo eyed her, confused.

"Is something troubling you?" the question took her off guard. The last person she'd imagine being worried about her was the elegant Theo. Actually that was lie. There was Shinjiro.

"No, not really." She lied, turning to leave.

"I'm afraid I know you just lied to me. Remember that this room is a reflection of its guest. I can sense your suffering," his voice sensually eased into the silence as Minako clasp the door.

"It's nothing. Just a guy…Like always nowadays. I'll come back later, Theo," as soon as she shut the door behind her she ran. Minako didn't know where she was running but she just knew she had to. All the way her MP3 player cried out into her ears.

"_Isabelle, what can I do?_

_The last thing I need is to end up askew!_

_And Isabelle, what can I do?"_

Without realising it, tears began to swell up in her eyes. Minako didn't know what was happening to her. All those dreams and that damn clock, the butterfly and the small boy who haunted her. None of it made sense and yet all of them were now familiar to her. So much like the stars, she could see them and acknowledge they were part of her world but at the same time she couldn't understand them.

_THUMP! _Suddenly her body was hurtled backwards and down to the hard concrete beneath her. Her eyes clenched shut for a moment and when she opened them again she just gazed up at Shinji with a dumbstruck look upon her face as the tears gently rolled down her flushed cheeks.

"S-Shinji, I'm so sorry. I didn't know…"

"Shut up," he said gently, glancing around for a moment to see if anyone was around before he held out a hand to help her up. They stood, awkwardly for a moment. Minako blushing and engaged with a staring contest with the concrete while Shinjiro looked mildly annoyed and glared at nothing in particular.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, wiping her tears. However the run hadn't done her any good. She was near Iwatodai station and her stomach was now growling fiercely. Recalling that they'd found Shinjiro outside Hagekure and that she hadn't had lunch Minako gently smiled as she looked up at him.

"How about I buy you dinner instead of apologising all the time?" Shinji seemed like the type who'd constantly scold you for talking, let alone saying sorry.

"Tch, works for me," he wasn't heartless, he could see she was upset plus he wasn't the type to deny a free meal every once in a while not to mention she looked like she was in need of one.

"You can choose where to go,"

"Fine, we'll go Hagakure," Minako silently celebrated as he picked her favourite restaurant. She held back the urge to skip beside him; instead she hung back a little and stayed close behind. She was beginning to get that feeling again. She could blame her pounding heart and dry throat on her run and that her hands were shaking because she was upset, but even she didn't believe that.

_Every time I so much as think about him…_the girl thought to herself as they walked into the Ramen shop and made their orders. She dared to glance over at her companion for a brief moment. What was she supposed to talk to him about? Apart from school, which he didn't go to, and SEES they had nothing in common. Oh and apparently a fondness of Hagakure.

"I like this place," Minako announced suddenly, earning herself a quick look from Shinjiro before he scoffed.

"You're an odd one," and that was when it happened. He laughed, just a little. It was enough for her to look absolutely stunned as if he'd told her in his free time he murdered rabbits.

"What?" he went straight back to glaring at her.

"N-nothing. I just never expected you to…Oh never mind," she dropped the subject, not wanting to embarrass him but he had other things on his mind.

"Wasn't that important then…Or did you wanna question me again…" her hand twitched slightly in irritation. Silence took over as they received their meals.

"I have plenty of backbone by the way," Minako snapped quietly almost as if it was for her ears only.

"What was that?" he seemed genuinely confused by her antagonism.

"Last night you told me to grow some backbone. I wouldn't be fighting Shadows at night if I didn't have backbone," the girl explained, staring down at her bowl of ramen. As she was about to take her first bit of soup he made his reply.

"Is that so? You can fight, yea. But you're shittin' yourself just because you're having to talk to me,"

_So he does see through me. I can't say I'm surprised. Shit! Gotta find a snappy reply…_

"Ow!" _SAVED!_

"What's wrong?" Minako realised that even though this got them off topic he was still in pain…for some reason that bothered her more than it should have.

"Nothing…Forgot I had a cut in my mouth," Shinji was thrown off by the look of concern in her eyes. _Why the hell does she give a fuck? _

"How'd that happen?" he seemed uncomfortable suddenly, and more than he usually did.

"Aki punched me…The guy needs to learn his own strength…" he tried to play it off as a joke instead of getting his best friend to bear the wrath of their petit Leader. But she didn't seem to be buying his excuse this time.

"Were you two fighting?" a strange anger had swept over her eyes. If he was a leader like she was he knew he wouldn't want his team members to be fighting among themselves but at the same time he could tell just from the look she was giving him she wouldn't accept a lie. No…Not today. She wasn't in the mood to be messed with.

"Well…yeah. I told him he's too reckless and he hit me for it…" before she could argue back with him he cut her off with another excuse. "We used to fight all the time, just get used to it…" the icy stare wasn't letting up and it seemed as though he was just digging a deeper hole.

_Why the hell should I care what she thinks? _But he did care. He couldn't figure out why. He just did. Even though he'd tried to avoid it Shinjiro was about to get interrogated by Minako again. And he hadn't enjoyed it the first time.

"Don't come into my team and start causing…"

"Alright! Alright! I'll try not to fight him just stop glaring at me like that! Sheesh…And you're actually younger than us…Good thing we've got such a reliable leader…" _Why the hell did I just say that?_ Her face almost lit up though.

_Why…Did he just say that? _She wondered as Minako began to smile gently again. All of her troubles from before seemed to have melted away and her anxieties had cleared. This man in a matter of about 10 minutes had put her heart at ease.

The talk was a peaceful one as Shinjiro began to reminisce about the first time him and Akihiko fought when they were kids. There was laughter again and even though she didn't really add to the conversation she was still enjoying it. Minako sat there, just smiling at him. He stared down at his food once he realised what she was doing though.

"Wait until it's cooled down," she warned firmly as he attempted to eat again. He knew she was right but he didn't want to admit defeat to her just yet. Pain flared up in his mouth again.

"Argh!" yet Minako gave him a light sigh and a sympathetic look before she decided to announce her victory smugly.

"Tch, told you…" He resisted the urge to tell her to shut up, again he couldn't fathom why. However there was something bothering the young man.

"Why were you out running today?" the question seemed to have come straight out of the blue, her eyes widened in surprise. But Minako knew that lying to him wasn't worth the effort.

"I was upset about something…that's all…" her whole demeanour seemed to change as he mentioned it. With that far off look in her eye as well he decided it would be best to drop the subject.

"Yea well…Don't…Keep it bottled up. You've got the team to think about. If you're distracted then there'll be trouble for all of us," again he'd made a good point and a considerate one. Minako laughed softly.

"You're such a softie…"

"Hey! It ain't like that! I ain't a nice guy!" Shinjiro protested all the while the girl was laughing more and more at him. A faint blush began to appear on his cheeks as he grimaced at her laughter. But at the same time he was glad she was laughing. When he'd seen her running down towards him the agony on her face was almost unbearable, even for him.

"I'm sorry, you just…Ah, never mind," for once she wasn't dropping the subject because of his hostility, it was simply because it didn't matter. The chef however was giving them strange looks, leaving Shinji feeling awkward.

"C'mon, let's eat and then get going back to the Dorm already," Minako nodded in agreement, no longer content with watching her food anymore.

* * *

**Evening - Naganaki Shrine -**

After an interesting meal and a quiet walk back to the Dorm, Minako walked down to the Shrine just to recollect her thoughts on what was going on around her.

Lately she'd discovered many things. She'd discovered that dogs could use personas, robots were real and could also use personas and that for some reason Shinjiro Aragaki made her heart flutter.

_BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ_

Sighing she wandered to the bench where she'd usually talk to Akanari and laid down before she pulled out her phone and read the text from Junpei.

"_Yo! You alright? You came back with Shinjiro-senpai! Man, you need to fill me in on this, yeah?"_

The teenager smiled to herself before sending him a text to get back to studying. Minako placed her headphones on and listened to music as she slowly shut her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Meanwhile at the Dorm**

Shinjiro wandered down to the lounge once everyone had gone up to bed, they apparently had all decided to get an early night, Koromaru sat at the door patiently.

"Hey, boy. What're you doing there?" the white dog turned to face him but stayed glued to the spot. "It'll be Dark Hour in about an hour, wanna go for a quick walk before then?" the dog barked in reply watching Shinjiro intently as he opened the door and set off for the shrine, Koromaru walking quickly in front of him.

"What's the rush?" the brunette laughed however this time instead of barking Koromaru whimpered. His interest piqued at such a strange reply from him.

"You worried about her being out late? Don't. I've only been here a couple of nights but apparently she's been doing it a lot lately," Koromaru stopped walking and looked up at Shinji tilting his head slightly.

"No, I didn't ask because I care. I asked because Aki does," another whimper escaped Koromaru as he tilted his head again.

"Don't give me that look. She's okay to be around, that's it," the dog barked in disagreement and carried on walking. When they got to the stairs to the shrine he ran off, leaving Shinji to chase after him.

"Wait up!" he turned towards where Koromaru was growling and barking, before he could realise what was going on two teenagers ran past him. Shinji turned around but they had already disappeared into the night. _What the fuck was that about?_ He continued to approach the dog who was sitting by a bench in the corner of the shrine.

Lying there was Minako, she seemed unharmed just sleeping.

_Tch, idiot. Just falling asleep like that…_

"Did you know she was here?" he asked Koromaru who barked in agreement. He leaned down and pressed pause on the MP3 player around her neck. He hesitated for a moment about waking her up when she looked so peaceful but he shook that thought away, removing the headphones from her ears.

"Oi, wake up, idiot." He pushed her shoulder lightly; slowly her eyes began to open.

"Shinji…Why're you in room?" Minako asked him, still hazy from waking up.

"Take a look around, this ain't your room. And when did you start callin' me Shinji?" he scolded but couldn't help smiling gently. It had to be way she was looking up at him, the moonlight reflecting in her crimson eyes.

"Oh I must've fallen asleep at the shrine again. I was so tired from all that running earlier. And…I'm sorry, Shinjiro," she smirked.

"You fall asleep at the shrine often?" she sat up, giving him room to sit beside her.

"Often enough but usually Koromaru comes to find me," she patted the dog on the head before he ran off to play.

"Didn't I tell you earlier that if something's bothering you to tell someone? Why not talk to Aki or someone…" Shinji pulled out a cigarette as he accepted her invitation to sit with her.

"How about I talk to you about it?" he glanced over at her.

"Why would you wanna do something like that? You don't know me…" he inhaled deeply as he leaned back on the bench.

"Because I keep running into you, earlier I did literally. But like…Last night and tonight. I dunno. I feel like I do know you…So will you hear me out?" Minako shut her eyes again feeling the cool autumn breeze tugging at her. It felt reassuring.

"Whatever," the man felt like she was giving him no choice. Even if he declined she was the sort of person who'd tell him anyway.

"Ever since I got here I've been having these weird dreams about being somewhere in the Dark Hour. I don't know where. And I'm either staring at or holding this old pocket watch. There's a butterfly too but…" she took a moment to pause, checking he was still listening to her. His eyes were on her. It made her heart begin to pound again. Her lip quivered slightly.

"The reason I hate those dreams so much is because in them I feel this overwhelming feeling. I feel lost and lonely and like I've just had my heart ripped out. It's the same feeling I had when my mother and father died in a car accident 10 years ago…" Minako trailed off, looking down at her hands folded in her lap.

"So, you're telling me you can face Shadows and shoot yourself in the head to summon a Persona but you have a dream about being alone and you run around crying all over the city?"

"That's right," a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. Shinjiro had originally thought provoking her would eventually make her smile however seeing the tears forming in her eyes he realised he'd have to do what Aki was best at. He'd have to be supportive and emotionally available, just for a while. And so with a heavy sigh he put his arm around her, pulling her close.

"S-Shinjiro," the girl whispered, her heart feeling like it would burst out of her chest.

"Shinji's fine and you ain't gonna be alone for a long time. Junpei and Yukari are always gonna be bugging you and Aki will too. Instead of running away and facing things by yourself…Face it with them. You'll just make yourself feel more alone if you don't. I dunno what's gotten into me today…" he sighed again however when he looked down at her she was smiling up at him.

"You're right. I've been isolating myself from the others. You've barely been around me and you've noticed. But that's what I like about you!" she ended her sentence with a reassuring laugh. The two both looked out as Koromaru came running back to them.

"Hey! Koro-chan, you're ready to go. Hey, do you like Shinji?" the dog barked in delight. Minako stood up, looking back at the dark haired man with a grin.

"Lemme guess, you want to finish that alone?" he took a moment to think before answering.

"Yeah. Get back to the Dorm, idiot. And don't fall asleep on your way there," for a moment Minako had seen the other side to Shinjiro but she welcomed his rough exterior as well because he just wouldn't be Shinji without it.

* * *

**That night**

Minako finally dreamed of something other than being alone in that horrible place. Instead she dreamt she was on the roof of the school being held by none other than Shinjiro Aragaki the warm in his arms was so real so felt as though it was actually happening. Her tiny fingers held onto his coat gently, the wind was gently rolling by them.

She awoke with a smile and then began laughing to herself.

_Like he'd ever turn up at school…_

_

* * *

_

***cries* Yes like Shinji would ever turn up at school just to hug you, Minako. You have no idea... :'( Oh yea! The Detective Prince (Talking about myself in third person) yea her brain runs on the joy that comes from people reviewing her story so...like...Keep the brain running! XD **_  
_


	5. Chapter 4: Ghosts Appear And Fade Away

Ah! Finally, a new chapter. I was bed-ridden for a few days and couldn't get down to my computer to get some writing down. :( There's not as much Akihiko as I'd have liked but I super-promise there'll be more next chapter! :) Ohhh ya. Thankies for the reviews and the faves/alerts. They are much appreciated. *nods wisely* Oh! Song time. The title is from Overkill by Colin Hay and the first couple of verses are a little bit into the story as well. The second part with song lyrics is from Dreaming Of You by The Coral WHICH if you've been paying attention I used as chapter 3's titles. Pay attention class I'll be quizzing you on this later. (Not really but that's the image just came into my head) ENJOY!

**~ The Detective Prince**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Four**

**Ghosts Appear And Fade Away**

The next night was a Tartarus night. Minako felt like finally she had the will to continue on to the next barrier.

With Koromaru, Junpei and Shinji for back-up they'd headed all the way up until they could go no further.

"Ah man. I hate it when it does that! Why can't we just go all the way to the top anyway?" Junpei exclaimed in frustration as Minako picked up a document.

"Because we don't even know what this place is, if we head on all the way to the top at once who knows what'd be up there…" she laughed as they waited for her to get to the access point. She couldn't help but notice Shinjiro had been more anti-social than usual.

_Maybe I should ask Akihiko about it later _the girl thought.

"Yea but we could take whatever comes our way! I'm tellin' ya with senpai here now we could smash all the Shadows in this place!" Junpei didn't need to say it again. Shinjiro's physical strength was beyond amazing and the way he just casually held that battle axe as well had Minako impressed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Junpei. We've still gotta deal with you holding us back," she joked as they got back down to the first floor.

"H-hey! Uncool! You know I don't hold you back!" he exclaimed nervously, she just looked back at him with a smile.

"What do you think, Koro-chan?" the white canine barked in agreement, his tail wagging furiously.

"Tch, let's just get back, okay?" Shinjiro scoffed, breaking the mock-argument effortlessly.

"You did really well today, you must be tired, Mina-chan!" Fuuka appeared beside Minako on the walk back.

"Nah, I always imagine your job's tougher. You're constantly scanning our floor and the floors above us," Fuuka blushed slightly.

"I-it's not as hard as you might think with Lucia...Besides you carry a lot of Personas with you as well, don't you ever get confused about which one to us?" she asked nervous but Minako just smiled.

"Yea, I've been thinkin' that myself…" Junpei appeared on the other side of the Leader, squaring her into this conversation.

"Not really. It's like…You wouldn't forget which friends are good at doing what. Like I know Akihiko is good at boxing and Yukari at Archery and if I ever need any sort of business advice I'd go to Mitsuru…"

_And if I ever wanted to get my heart racing I'd just try to talk to Shinji…_She didn't know why she couldn't just ask him herself what seemed to be bothering him. After the night before she guessed it was something to do with her.

"Right, Mina-tan?" Minako stared at Junpei for a moment trying to mask her surprise.

_I have no idea what he was saying…Oh damn…Just agree…_She nodded and gave her signature carefree smile.

"Right, Junpei."

**Later that night -Dorm- **

Minako was lying in bed as the Dark Hour disappeared, her stomach growling angrily at her for her expending all her energy in Tartarus. After 10 or so minutes she finally relented, dragging herself out of bed and down to the kitchen where she smelt food. Good food.

It smelt like omelette and fried rice, a personal favourite of hers. She slowly poked her head around the kitchen door and stood astonished.

Although the pea coat had been discarded, she instantly recognised Shinjiro and the effect it caused her heart.

_Oh wow that food tastes so good; he must be some sort of angel _she thought hungrily. The girl wasn't sure if she should interrupt his divine session or to just crawl back upstairs but her stomach betrayed her before she'd even decided, alerting him to her presence with another angry growl.

"Tch, what're you doing up?" he seemed flustered for a moment; the savage tone in his voice was gone.

"Erm, I was hungry so I was going to come make some instant ramen…" she replied, her voice holding steady as she walked into the kitchen and stood by him to inspect his art. Her nose hadn't lied. He was grilling an omelette while the rice was left to fry in butter and ketchup and something else. She took another deep breath.

"Ah, you added soy sauce as well to give it extra punch, eh?" if there was one thing Minako knew, it was food. She wasn't like Theo, though she marvelled at his ability to detect the slightest ingredient by smell alone, but she wasn't far behind the young man.

_Wait…Just how old IS Theo? _She shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to the food before her.

"How'd you know? I thought a clueless idiot like you'd barely know what they put in ramen," Minako tore her eyes away from the food and stared up at him for a moment. He was embarrassed to have been caught cooking, especially by her and all people. No…It could've been Junpei.

"Just because I eat cheap food doesn't mean I don't appreciate it as an art form. I just find it quicker to eat…But ya know my aunt's a chef. My mother was a food critic so she used to take me and dad to restaurants all the time," Shinji was taken back by the nostalgic smile she had on her face. Her eyes seemed suddenly thrown back into those memories.

"Ah…" was all he had to say. She moved away to grab her ramen when he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"What?" the Leader's body froze for a moment as she looked back at him.

"Don't eat that crap, dammit. Share some of this with me, I cook too much all the time anyway, and don't gimme that look either!" that look of appreciation she was giving him made him realise he was being soft again.

"Thanks, Shinjiro-senpai…"

"Shinji," he corrected, dishing up food for them.

"I'll call you Shinji if you call me Mina-chan," Minako practically skipped into the dining area and sat on the stall beside him as he laid down her plate.

"Seriously? You'd rather be called Mina-chan?" she shook her head.

"No, I'd rather hear you call me something like that, _Shinjiro-senpai…_" after one bite of his food though her eyes were practically watering in the pleasure. He'd blended all the flavours so well, he had a talent.

"I said quit calling me that!" Shinji snapped, disgruntled by her reminding him he was supposed to attend school.

"Actually…Minako is fine. This food totally makes up for it, Shinji…Even my mother would have given this 5 stars and she was tough on cooks, I'm telling ya!" she laughed slightly before taking another bite. It seemed to get better the more she ate. It made her feel happy enough to broach the subject of his sulking in Tartarus earlier.

"What was up with you earlier, by the way?" he was thrown off by her sudden query but hoped as time went on he'd get used to her bombarding him with questions all the time and he'd find a way to avoid them.

"Fighting can be a pain sometimes, that's all, hurry up and eat your food," he scolded. She pouted a little yet did as she was told for once. After they'd finished eating the two sat in silence for a moment.

"We keep running into each other, huh?" Minako broke the silence as she thought aloud.

"We live together. And you're the one who keeps butting in all the time when I'm busy," she had no reply for him. However he had upset her with the harshness of his tone. If there was one thing she hated it was seeming like she was a burden to people. Silently she got up and walked back to bed, muttering her thanks for letting her eat with him.

As soon as Minako was back in her room she threw herself onto her bed, briefly look at a picture of her parents. She looked just like her mother and her father was her polar opposite.

His dark blue hair, piercing grey eyes and his relaxed expression, it made her wonder why her parents had gotten together. Opposite attract they say. She'd caught herself a real opposite in Shinjiro Aragaki.

After a moment's thought she got ready for bed and put on her headphones, wanting to fade away with her music for just a little while. She placed her MP3 player on shuffle like normal and shut her eyes.

"_I can't get to sleep._

_I think about the implications,_

_Of diving in too deep._

_And possibly the complications._

_Especially at night._

_I worry over situations,_

_I know will be alright._

_Perhaps it's just imagination…_"

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Shinjiro sat in his room, staring at the ceiling. He was finding it hard adjusting to being at the Dorm again and especially with _her _around. Minako Arisato. From the moment he saw her in Akihiko's hospital room he'd sensed something was different about her.

Everyone saw her in a different way. She was a sister to Yukari, a mentor to Fuuka and Ken, a caring friend to Akihiko, a partner in crime with Junpei, a student to Mitsuru and apparently Aigis' meaning in life. So what was she to him?

A pest? As much as he acted like she was Shinji enjoyed spending time with her. She asked too many questions, she was strange, pushy and yet generous and caring. Sensitive yet apparently robust. However even he couldn't deny he'd hurt her feelings earlier. That bothered him. It shouldn't have bothered him but it did. He pulled his beanie over his eyes, hoping the thoughts would disappear but they didn't.

* * *

**Early Morning -Dorm-**

Shinjiro sat in the lounge with Koromaru, he had been talking to Akihiko but the boxer had left on his early morning jog.

It was a rare peaceful moment at the Dorm. Everyone else was asleep, no one could bother him. He was just lying on the sofa reading a cooking magazine when someone came walking down the stairs with a yawn, Koromaru darting off to greet them.

Shinjiro hid the magazine under the sofa and looked up. Minako still had her headphones in and was knelt down stroking the dog. He sat up and walked over to her, casually knocking one of her headphones off her ears.

"Huh? Shinji! I didn't see you there," Minako gasped jumping away from the senior behind her and falling to the floor, nearly landing on Koromaru.

"Idiot, try and take in what's around you," he sighed, forcing himself not to smile at her.

"Y-yeah, I would but I'm not usually awake this early. If I am, Akihiko is usually around," Minako struggled to get up, still barely awake.

"He just left, dammit, come here," he held his hand out to her, she gazed up at him for a moment, her crimson eyes studying his expression before she placed her hand in his and let him up her up.

The girl felt the warmth yet roughness of his skin on hers, making her blush slightly. He was avoiding eye contact with her though.

"Well, I'm gonna pop out and get some curry bread from the bakery before school…So, I'm off…" she said quietly, her hand still not letting go of his.

"The one near Iwatodai station?" he pulled his hand back and looked down at her. Minako nodded with a smile.

"I'll come with you, I've gotta pick some stuff up from there anyway," he scoffed, walking towards the door.

She was hesitant to follow, in a daze from both just waking up and just holding his hand.

"You comin' or what?" Shinji snapped as he opened the door, the Leader yelping in surprise as she chased after him.

* * *

**Lunchtime -Rooftop- **

Junpei, Yukari, Aigis and Minako all sat on the rooftop enjoying lunch together.

"Hey, you do realise we have an operation tonight, right?" Junpei asked the clueless Minako.

"Oh yea? Really?" She'd been so caught up thinking about Shinji that the fact there were Shadows around completely left her mind. She nearly dropped her bread in surprise.

"Don't tell me you seriously forgot?" Yukari exclaimed in astonishment. Their Leader quickly laughed it off.

"Wow you guys actually believed me! I'm surprised _you _remembered, Junpei?" she joked, quickly deflecting Yukari's attention to mocking Junpei.

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Minako stared down at her food in alarm.

_I can't believe I actually forgot…What is wrong with me?_

"Yeah well Our Honourable Leader was walking around with Shinjiro-senpai earlier, I heard," suddenly Minako was back in the conversation.

"So what? I'm keeping an eye on him. At least I don't go around chatting up gothic Lolita girls at the station," she snapped back jokingly. As Junpei stumbled to explain himself and Aigis pondered on what 'Gothic Lolita' was exactly, Minako sat in worry. However before her thoughts spiralled out of control the lunch bell rang and the group had to head back into class while Minako prayed that this Shadow would be an easy one.

* * *

**The Dark Hour -Club Escapade- **

As if by some sort of stroke of luck the Shadow that night was an easy one. And there was only one which put Minako at ease. Her team was Shinjiro, Koromaru and Akihiko and she planned on pounding the Hermit shadow into the dust.

It made her feel guilty though, with every strike the creature howled in pain, its legs bound to the wires it'd attached itself to in the basement of the club. She stuck to using her recently acquired Nata Taishi, which after all the trouble Theo had put her through to get it she was glad it hadn't been for nothing. Although she'd have brought Ken with her to heal them, she felt awful tension between him and Shinjiro and so had chosen to take on the task of healing and supporting on herself.

It wasn't a role she was happy with but she obliged this one time and they were quickly finished with the shadow.

On the way back she spoke to Akihiko about battle tactics, all the while her eyes trained on the cause of her forgetfulness.

"You haven't been yourself tonight…" Akihiko suddenly stated, she turned back to him.

"Huh? How so?" if even Akihiko noticed she was acting strange then she was in trouble.

"Well on the walk back from an operation you explain the Arcana meaning behind it all. You're really into that stuff…" the point he'd made was try. She did love the meanings behind the Arcana and reverse Arcana.

"I thought you found that stuff boring!" she joked, wary of his watchful stare.

"N-no. I just…" the silver haired boxer trailed off, embarrassed. Minako gently smiled to him and looked up at the Dark Hour sky.

"You really wanna hear about it?" she held onto his arm and continued to smile at him. His eyes widened in shock and then slowly he began to blush.

"S-sure…You always look happy talking about it…" Minako took a moment to shut her eyes and envision the Shadow's appearance again. The Hermit…

"Alright…It's a tricky one. The Reverse Hermit is supposed to represent someone who can't keep to themselves: Someone who has no respect for society and is completely inhumane. My thoughts are…That the shadow was connected to all those wires, right? While that shows a need to be over involved, the way it looked and screamed was completely animalistic. Like it'd lost all sort of human features…" she explained slowly, thinking hard. She'd always found the Hermit Arcana a difficult one to follow. Yet Akihiko seemed more intent on listening to her than usual.

"I see. You were trying hard today. I couldn't just stand back and let others fight," he praised quietly. She laughed at the thought of Akihiko not being allowed to fight. He looked heart-broken the night before when she hadn't chosen him to go up Tartarus with her. Although as expected Shinji and Akihiko worked well together.

"Yea well, someone had to. By the way, senpai, how long have you known Shinjiro-senpai?" she asked trying to sound as casual as she could, her crimson eyes back on the delinquent in front of them.

"Erm, 14 years…Why?" he felt nervous about her asking questions about his best friend and he wasn't sure why. It could've been that strange look in her eye when she watched him. There was a hint of sadness in that look or perhaps longing.

"Oh you two seem real close and I was just curious," by the time she looked back at him she seemed perfectly normal again, or rather as normal as Minako could look.

* * *

**After the Dark Hour -Dorm- **

Minako found herself smelling Shinji's cooking again as she made her way down for an after Dark Hour snack. Just like before she poked her head round the door to check what he was cooking.

It was tomato and basil pasta. A food she hadn't had in years.

"Oh, exotic tonight are we?" she teased with a chuckle as she entered the kitchen.

"What're you doing here again, moron? You expecting me to give you food again? Some charity case you are," he snapped and yet she could tell he was pleased to have her nagging him again.

"I was hungry again. I always get hungry around this time at night," she groaned standing beside him at the stove.

"Then eat more for dinner. Or eat it later, don't come in here expecting me to hand you food all the time," Shinji scoffed trying his best to send her away with a glare but she stood beside him still, peering into the saucepan.

"You know for someone who tries to be so mean all the time you have a strange way of showing it. Handing me food, eating dinner with me when I was upset," Minako continued trying to gauge a reaction from him.

"I ain't that nice. I just…You're the leader, it's a respect thing," to this she laughed quite loudly.

"A respect thing from you?"

"Do you want food or not, idiot?"

_Ha that did the trick. _She stood there silently watching him dish food up and then they took the same seats they had the night before.

"You never call me by my name, ya know," she commented, breaking the comfortable silence that had formed between them. "It's always idiot or moron…Why is that?" He took a moment to consider his answer.

"Because, _Minako_, you are an idiot…and a moron," again she laughed, he smiled to himself as she did. It was strange to have someone around who didn't fear his company but enjoyed it instead.

"Yea, well, _Shinji_, you're nothing more than a softie," the girl teased, poking his arm.

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not?"

"Don't bother, I'll never believe you. Trust me, I've got you pinned," her eyes cast a mischievous look at him.

"You think you do, huh?" he returned it with a cocky expression. The pair fell silent for a moment. They just stared at each other, the tension between them making their hearts pound. Minako felt her throat going dry again.

A bark echoed from the lounge area, breaking their stare. Minako looked down at her empty plate.

"Well…I'm off. You can clear up…" she whispered before running upstairs back to the safety of her room, leaving Shinjiro to sit there staring where she'd been for a moment longer before cursing himself for what he'd just experienced and that he'd been left to clean up again.

* * *

**Meanwhile -Minako's Room-**

As soon as she shut the door she slid down to sitting on the floor, her pale hands shaking and her breathing was erratic. These feelings felt so familiar and yet so foreign at the same time. Again she got ready for bed, dropped down onto her bed and turned on her MP3 player.

"_What's up with my heart when it skips a beat?_

_Can't feel the pavement right under my feet…_

_Up in my lonely room,_

_And I'm dreaming of you._

_Oh what can I do?_"

_Stupid MP3 player…_She thought bitterly before putting the song on repeat and falling to sleep.

* * *

**Don't you ever feel like your MP3/iPod is against you? I put mine on shuffle the other day when I was having a crappy day coz I was in bed and all it wanted to play was sad songs. Stupid iPod. So yes! Review because...you...love me? And if you do I promise to stop putting weird things at the end of my chapters...I think. :D **

**~ The Detective Prince** (is a girl apparently)


	6. Chapter 5: The Lights Are Dim

*sighs* So I don't know if you know this but I can only write a chapter in one sitting :) I dunno why. I fear I'll lose my flow if I stop part way through so I've been up for the last 3 hours typing this listening to Panic At The Disco. So as you can guess the chapter title is from one of their songs (Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off) and then a little bit later in the chapter are more lyrics from them from the song Time To Dance. AND AS PROMISED MORE AKIHIKO :) It's quite a bit later in the chapter so be patient. Lol.

This is getting annoying I keep forgetting to mention my lack of owning P3P and anything to do with it.

**~ The Detective Prince**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**The Lights Are Dim And Your Hands Are Shaking  
**

Minako slept in the next day, only waking up around noon because of a text from Junpei asking if she was okay.

_Yea, I'm fine. You downstairs?_

After what she'd felt the night before she was wondering if she'd be able to face Shinji. Surely he could have seen what she was feeling. The intensity of his gaze was seared into her mind. She shook her head and got up to shower. By the time she got back Junpei had replied.

_Nah, me, Yuka-tan, Fuuka and Aigis have taken out Ken and Koromaru. Have fun with the senpais! _

She grimaced as she read it. It crossed her mind she could just stay in her room all day and studying but she liked going out on Sundays and talking at Akinari. Her stomach was also warning her she was hungry. Soon Minako gave in to her gluttonous needs and walked downstairs, headphones on. When she got into the kitchen she found Akihiko in there attempting to make lunch.

"Oh! Akihiko-senpai, it's not like you to be cooking!" she exclaimed as she took off her headphones. He looked up at her trying to smile.

"I'm…not really good at this sort of thing," he admitted, his face explained it all. He was ashamed to admit that he couldn't cook to save his life.

"Oh…well why don't I help you?" the girl offered with a smile. He nodded in agreement as she began instructing him on how to fry rice.

Part way through her cooking lesson though, Shinji walked in apparently looking for Akihiko.

"Aki, do you know where…" his question trailed off as Minako looked over at him.

"Well you know, Shinji's a good cook, get him to teach you the rest," she said quickly before leaving the Dorm completely, placing her headphones back on and running down towards the station.

* * *

**Back at the Dorm**

"What was that about?" Akihiko asked his best friend, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Huh? How am I supposed to know?" Shinji replied sourly, meeting Akihiko's gaze.

"She didn't seem to want to be around you and she knows about you cooking. How is that?" Akihiko didn't seem like he was going to drop the subject.

"I don't know why you don't ask her. What's your problem anyway? Don't tell me you actually have feelings for the idiot…" the brunette scoffed, watching the door. He could see Minako had been running towards Iwatodai station.

_She'll be going to get something to eat after she's done running. I'll check Hagekure _he thought to himself before he realised Akihiko looked extremely angry.

"Don't call Minako-chan that. She deserves a little more respect than that, Shinji," he warned sternly. Shinji just shrugged.

"You're hopeless. I get respect but you're taking this to heart," he said bluntly, turning to leave. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air, this place is stuffy as hell," he left Akihiko standing in the

kitchen shaking with anger. Something was going on and for some reason Shinji didn't want him knowing what.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

_"Have some composure!_

_Where is your posture?_

_You're pulling the trigger! _

_Pull the trigger!"_

Minako didn't know why but as soon as Shinjiro had walked in she'd felt that need to run again. She didn't feel like she'd be able to face him. Her hands were clenched so hard her nails broke skin the warm blood racing out of the small cuts. She felt like a fool but every time she looked at Shinji she felt so many emotions.

She reached the station after running around several streets she didn't know were around. Part of her wanted to go to the Moonlight Bridge and just sit and gaze out at the sea like she would sometimes, remembering her parents. But the last thing she needed was more reminding she was all alone.

Instead she headed to Hagekure, ordered herself some food and just sat deep in her own memories of her parents and the kindness they used to show to her.

"_Eat up, Mina-chan! Food is the very essence of life, you know that. Also I wouldn't love your father if he couldn't cook!" her mother laughed gently as they sat at the dinner table, her father bringing in another bowl of food. _

_"Ha, I wish she was joking about that," the two looked at each other, the warmth between them was plain as day. _

"_Don't worry, mama! I always finish my food!" her parents laughed, her father ruffling her hair as he did. _

She sighed, pulling herself out of that memory as she stared into her bowl.

"I'll have the usual," a gruff voice spoke from behind her. Suddenly a hand was tightly on her shoulder.

"Don't run off this time, moron," her body just obeyed his command and stayed seated as he sat beside her.

"Why'd you run off all the time? It's a real pain," he scolded. Minako shook her head.

"I've only done it twice since you came along!" she argued back quietly. She heard him heave a heavy sigh beside her; finally she lifted up her crimson eyes and look at him.

"Yea well, it's only been a few days. You do realise that, don't you?" she shrugged.

"Feels like I've known you for ages," it was true. It was one of the main things she felt around Shinji. He gave no reply. He just looked at her. Slowly he smiled.

"You run pretty fast for someone so small,"

"I'm used to it," she ate her first portion of noodles before explaining herself. "I was bullied before I came here. My eyes, the kids used to pick on me. At first it was just name calling but as they got older it got worse. I'm telling ya I could run all the way from one end of the neighbourhood to the other without breaking a sweat. And I needed to. My school was quite far from my house so I had to leave part way through the last lesson sometimes just to get a head start," she paused for a moment, looking at him again. He seemed to be listening intently to what she had to say.

"Why're you being nice to me again, Shinji?" Minako asked, feeling very drained all of a sudden.

"How am I supposed to know? Because Aki seems pretty pissed at me right now, because you can be such a pain when you run off, because you've got something on your mind that made you run off in the first place," again he sighed.

"You say that and you still act like you don't wanna be here, like you'd rather be anywhere in world right now than here,"

"That's not true. There's a place…A place I hope I never go back to…" he corrected with a jolt. Minako smiled at him.

"See, we're both running," he mumbled in agreement as they both became silent and ate. It was only after the food was gone did Shinjiro attempt to talk to her again.

"You should talk to Aki when you get back to the Dorm. He's pretty worried, like usual. He'll probably be up in his room crying about something," the girl nodded in agreement before replying.

"You shouldn't be so mean about him. He's your best friend isn't he?" Shinji just laughed it off as he got up to pay and leave, she joined him.

"Yea he is but that doesn't stop him being a cry-baby or just a pain,"

"I know you don't mean that. Oh, can I eat with you again tonight?" she asked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"I'm not a fuckin' chef, you can't keep coming to me for food…" he rolled his eyes and scoffed. She, however, sighed dramatically.

"You're right…I guess I should stick to barely being full on all those unbalanced meals of instant ramen. I'm sure the team will only suffer a little on my behalf and…"

"Alright, moron! I get it. Fine, eat with me tonight," he snapped angrily however Minako just smiled back at him. "Tch, you're feeling better all of a sudden…"

"Of course! I ran, I ate and I've got the chance to talk to you. We're making a habit of this, Shinji," she teased, laughing a little as she did.

"Yeah, remind me to break that habit pretty soon. You can be so annoying, like Aki," her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Like Akihiko-senpai, huh? That just means you care," he could tell she was just joking but his face said it all. He did care. He didn't want to but now he was stuck caring for and about the teenage leader of SEES. And this Leader knew it as well.

"Nah, just means you get on my nerves. I ain't babysitting you no more. Next time you decide to run off don't expect a free meal from me," however she knew he would. She didn't know why but she was certain if she ran off again he'd try and find her.

"I wish Junpei hadn't run off with the others though…" she suddenly thought out loud.

"What're you talking about? They're trying to stop him from seeing the Chidori girl before Aki and Mitsuru see her in a while," it suddenly came to her attention that they'd captured a Strega member the night before as well. She'd been so thrown off by the meal with Shinji she'd forgotten that as well.

"Dammit. I really have been a moron recently…" she groaned, getting out her phone and sending a text to Junpei about Chidori.

"You only just noticed, huh? It's fine. You space out all the time," she looked up from the screen for a moment.

"I space out? Really?" Shinji laughed at the clueless look on her face.

"Yeah, you get that stupid look on your face like you're somewhere else completely. It's fine, I think people expect it of you now," he quickly added the last part as he saw her looking sad.

"You really think it's fine that I just space out and forget stuff all the time?" she shut her phone and place it back into her pocket, turning back to him, eyes glistening with admiration.

"Sure why not, you wouldn't be an idiot if you didn't," she scowled at his reply, looking away from him trying to think of a way to hurt him. Or at least punish him.

"Shinjiro-_senpai_, can I ask you an important question?" she asked politely emphasizing her words.

Shinji sighed a little and then replied "Yeah sure, since you were polite enough to actually ask this time," Minako smiled gently at him, her eyes still seemed to be shimmering. He swiftly looked away, a light pink tint rushing to his cheeks. _Dammit, dammit, dammit _he cursed inwardly.

"Do you…think I'm pretty?" she continued her sweet tone of voice to add more salt to his wounded hard outer shell. But her eyes were watching him very carefully. She was trying to hide the intent with which she was observing his reaction.

"What kind of stupid question is that? You can't just ask that sorta shit, not to me anyway!" he snapped, glaring at her. "Stop looking at me like that! If you want an answer go ask someone else!"

"So if I want an answer…Maybe I should ask Akihiko-senpai if he thinks you think I'm pretty!" she laughed yet his stare was still harshly targeted at her. The girl simply looked straight back at him as though she was locked in a sort of psychological war with him. She would win though; she wouldn't be the Leader she was if she just gave in to a challenge.

"Wow, you really think you can scare me just by glaring at me?" slowly she reached out of her hand and grasped the arm of his coat, never once looking away. Never once backing down.

"What the…?" Shinji tried to pull his arm away but she refused to let go and he wasn't going to force her in case he hurt her. Yet he was just as stubborn as she was.

"Answer my question and I'll let go. Either way I win…" she boldly stated, that playful look returning to her crimson gaze once more.

"You are just…the weirdest kid I've ever come across you know that?" he said nothing after that, allowing her to hang onto his arm. She finally released her grip on him as soon as they got to the Dorm door, Minako checked her phone, and there was still time to study.

"Alright, Shinji, I'll go talk to Akihiko-senpai but I'll see you after Dark Hour for dinner, 'kay?" all it took was that signature carefree smile and she ran up the stairs to the door and with one last look at him she entered the Dorm.

Shinji sighed angrily at his lack of fight he'd made the decision to leave nothing behind and yet...There was Minako Arisato. The pushy, yet gentle, carefree yet tormented soul had forced her way into his head. He gripped his beanie for a moment and then headed to Naganaki Shrine to think.

_I need a cigarette…Or a whole box or 'em…or two…_

_

* * *

_

**Meanwhile -Akihiko's Room-**

_Knock, knock, knock_. The boxer looked up at the clock in his room. He'd agreed to leave with Mitsuru for the hospital at 5. There was still an hour left.

"Akihiko-senpai, it's me. I was wondering if we could talk…" Minako's tiny voice came from the other side of the door. Akihiko's heart began to race as he stared at the door for a moment.

"Y-yeah sure. Give me a moment," he stood up, looking around his room for a moment. All the sporting equipment was hardly inviting but it wasn't as though she wouldn't expect that sort of thing from him. After that careful consideration he opened the door.

Sure enough, it hadn't been his imagination. The Leader was stood patiently outside his room, a small smile on her lips.

"Wanna come in?" he asked, moving aside for her to enter as she slowly walked by him, looking around his room just as he had been moments before.

"Oh wow, senpai, this room is really like you," she praised with a brighter smile, it felt so familiar being in his room but then again everything felt familiar in the Dorm and with the people around her.

"It's good to see you're feeling better. And since we're not in school you can just call me Akihiko…" he gestured for her to sit in the only chair in the room while he sat on the edge of his bed.

"Oh…Really? Well thanks, Akihiko. I thought you'd be worried so I came up to say that I'm alright now," _Well that's kind of right but I'm not going to annoy him by saying 'Your best friend thinks you cry about pretty much everything so he sent me up here to make sure you weren't…'_

"I was worried. I'm glad you're okay. And sorry about my room…" he looked down for a moment, feeling slightly ashamed.

"Why? I love it. Like I said it really is like you…" _So I guess Shinji's room is filled with cooking utensils and beanies…No…I'll bet it's plain but why do I think that?_

Akihiko caught the confused look that swept over her face.

"Something wrong, Minako-chan?" she looked straight back up at him, knocked out of her daze.

"Oh no I was just thinking…Mitsuru-senpai said you were going out soon to see Chidori. Do you really think we'll get anything from her? She seems pretty upset about losing her Evoker…" She asked, looking down at her lap saddened by the recent events.

"I'm not sure. But we won't know unless we try. Was Shinji back when you got in?" he was worried about his friend as well, even though Shinji made it a habit to skulk off for hours on end it didn't stop him from being concerned.

"Aragaki-senpai? No…I don't think he was brooding in the corner…" she was careful not to call him Shinji in front of the others in case she opened a flood gate of questions from Yukari and Junpei.

"Oh, I see. Well I'll be gone by the time he gets in then," he said to himself, looking back at Minako who was still smiling.

"I'll text you when he gets in, 'kay?" she offered he nodded and thanked her, not sure what exactly to say to her next.

"Senpai…I mean, Akihiko, why do you always seem to uncomfortable? We're in your own room, you should feel more relaxed," she advised gently. His gaze fell upon her hands and noticed the tiny cuts on them from earlier.

"What happened to your hands? Show me them," he ordered suddenly, Minako did as she was told holding them out to him. After a quick thought he pulled out a roll of bandage from the drawer in his desk.

"Akihiko, you don't have to. They're tiny," she gasped as he took her left hand into his and quickly wrapped her palm up in bandages. She began to blush slightly, feeling the smoothness of his skin on hers.

"Do you realise how easily they could get infected? Think about everything you use your hands for," he scolded her sympathetically, starting to wrap her right hand up as well.

"I guess you've got a point. I never thought about it that way. I suppose that's the good thing about being a boxer, huh?" he held her right hand in his for a little while after that, deep in thought.

"Did…Shinji upset you…?" he asked quietly, she was caught off guard by the question but managed to smile through it.

"No, why'd you think so? I mean he's foul tempered and all but I hardly talk to him," Akihiko looked deep into her eyes, searching for the truth within them. Yet he simply couldn't fathom if she was lying or not.

"It's nothing, I was just worried. Like you said he's foul tempered," he let go of her hand but she kept it in his. His slate grey eyes were still locked on her.

"Well there's nothing to worry about, Akihiko. Now I've gotta go back to my room to study. I'll text you later if I don't come down," she stood up, bowing to him slightly and then left.

All the while Akihiko was trying to figure out why the two most important people to him seemed to be trying to avoid each other and trying to keep him at arm's length.

* * *

**Minako's Room -Evening-**

Minako snacked as she studied, making sure to leave enough room to enjoy her meal later. There was a knock on her door, slightly muffled by her headphones but she'd always warned the others if they wanted her attention they'd have to pound on the door pretty hard for her to hear them.

"What's up?" she called, getting up.

"It's me," that gruff voice nearly made her fall over her own chair as she made her way to the door, nervously she opened the door a bit to look out and see if it really was Shinji. Her ears hadn't lied to her. Her phone went off in her pocket but she didn't even flinch.

"What's wrong, Shinji?" Minako's voice was trembling slightly; she gripped the door handle tightly to stop her hand from doing the same.

"I need to ask you somethin'…"

* * *

***Gasp! And dramatic voice* What could Shinji want? Why bother mentioning her phone going off if it's not going to be some sort of plot point? *laughs* I guess you'll have to come back next time for the answer to this and then you'll probably have more unanswered questions...:) Oh Ya! Thanks for the faves/alerts...It pleases my cat Samson. He would like some reviews as well as he sits on my lap while I write and he would like to have some nice things to read while he does! XD Thank youuuu**

**~ The Detective Prince **(And apparently her fat ginger furball Samson)**  
**


	7. Chapter 6: I Should Know Who I Am By Now

*yawns* It's 12:43am at present ya know. I'm so surprised people actually read this story XD I think even Samson's surprised. He would tell me but I just cooked him some chicken to eat while he sits around waiting for me to go to bed, which won't happen for a few more hours. SO I'm annoyed with this chapter. There is a distinct lack of Akihiko. *glares at Samson* I blame him. But yes! The cliffhanger is resolved. It was anti-climactic but that's because the best is yet to come...Next chapter. Song explanation times!

Title is from Winter by Joshua Radin! The song after the Dark Hour is I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie. Kitchen song is When The Day Met The Night. And final song is Empty With You by The Used! Enjoy...Hopefully. AND I OWN NOTHING. :'( Yet...

**~ The Detective Prince**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Six**

**I should know who I am by now**

"Talk? What's wrong, Shinji? Come in," her speech was starting to race like her heart as she moved aside to let him in. He hesitated for a moment but then Shinji walked past her and entered her domain.

It definitely smelt like her. It was a strange yet pleasing smell. He looked over at her desk and saw she'd been studying before he'd interrupted her. There were two photos on her desk. He guessed one was of her parents and her when she was about 4.

"Shinji…" she said as she shut the door and walked beside him, joining him in looking at the picture.

"This is gonna sound really lame, okay? But Minako, are you happy?" after a moment her eyes widened in shock as she looked at him.

"Am I…happy?"

* * *

**Hours before at Naganaki Shrine**

Shinjiro sat on the bench, smoking his cigarette and pondering on SEES, how much it'd changed. Akihiko had been right; they were much more aggressive now. They were actually making progress under the rule of their Leader.

He looked over as two girls were talking near the climbing frame.

"Uh I can't believe all that homework he gave us," the blonde girl said, the brunette sighed.

"I know, but I've got work as well ya know. I hardly even get to see Kanata-kun anymore. He's getting real upset about it!"

"I'm glad I don't have school clubs to go to though. Did you hear about Ai-chan? She's stuck doing all her club stuff as well,"

"Yeah, she's been pretty miserable lately. I hear she's hardly been sleeping too. What does she even wanna do in life?"

"I heard she wants to be a chef. Pretty weird, huh?" the two girls continued to gossip as they walked away but Shinjiro found himself on a new thought trail.

_What does she want to do with her life? I guess she doesn't think about it. Her whole world is about Tartarus and the Dark Hour right now. _He got up and decided to walk around the graves for a little while.

After a while he found what he was looking for amongst the graves.

"Hey Miki, sorry I ain't got nothin' for ya today," he said to the gravestone of Miki Sanada, Akihiko's younger sister. He knelt down and brushed some dirt off the marble. "Your brother's been taking good care of this place, huh?" he found a single lily on the grave. "I'll come back tomorrow with one for you, okay?" he got up and walked around a little more.

Aiko Amada's grave was near Miki's and he spent a quiet moment there as well before moving on. Suddenly his attention was caught by two more graves. He stood before them, feeling uneasy.

_Man, she should be gossiping like those girls as well. There's a lot of things she should be doing that she isn't…_

"I guess it's not because of you two though…" he whispered before he hurried away. Yet those names were engraved in his memory.

_Tsukiko Arisato and Morihiro Arisato…_

He could barely remember his own parents and in a way he was glad of that. He didn't cling to what precious moments he'd spent with them like Akihiko used to with his parents.

However he did realise if he wanted any peace in the bustling city around him, however morbid it seemed, he'd walk amongst the graves.

_Her crimson eyes looked right at him, showing no fear whatsoever, so unlike the two beside her that she stood out immediately. It surprised him so much that he paused for a moment and looked at her._

"_You…Never mind," her eyes were as keen as his, as soon as he'd opened his mouth she'd started reading him. _

Shinji sighed, lighting another cigarette as he headed back to sit on the bench. It occurred to him that SEES were also sacrificing a lot in order to keep on top of things. Fuuka had moved away from home even. Clearly they were all stressed about holding the Shadows at bay. There was no way they could escape it. Even their Leader was showing signs that she was falling apart slowly, under all that smiling she did as well.

"Tch and wouldn't it be nice if someone was to cut her some slack every once in a while…" he muttered to himself as he inhaled more smoke.

"_Man I feel sorry for you, Goatee! This bitch is a pain in the ass…HUH?" after the punk struck Junpei; Minako leapt into action and unleashed a kick onto the guy. She leapt right in front of her friend as he clutched his stomach. Shinji knew the punk had taken it too far and he looked as though he was going to strike Minako as well. _

_He had to step in and stop this. _

_As soon as he'd turned up Minako had seemed to relax, entrusting the situation to him silently. _

_He'd never forget what she said to him that day as well. She'd looked up at his, red eyes radiant._

"_Thank you very much…" _

Suddenly the reason she'd thanked him was deeper than just saving her from fighting a bunch of teenagers.

"I guess I cut you some slack that day, huh? I dealt with something so you didn't have to…Is that really all you need right now as well? Fine, whatever, Minako. I ain't doing this because…"

_Because I like her. _

* * *

**In Minako's Room**

"W-well…sure, I have friends and I'm part of cooking club and the student council and tennis club and I have my job…I'm never bored…I'm never lonely…" she trailed off, looking at the moon sadly.

"You're a shit liar," he scoffed, watching her.

"I wasn't trying, that's why…I have a lot going on that's all, I like being around you though. You make me feel better. I know it doesn't seem it because I just seem upset but that's not true," a tear fell gently down her cheek as she turned her eyes back to him.

"You cry too much," he sighed, wiping it away with his thumb all the while he barely looked at her.

"I cry too much because I never cry enough," she corrected with a gentle smile, raising her hand up and gently her fingers curled around his.

"Is that so? Anyways, I've gotta go get stuff for dinner later. I just…needed to know," he pulled his hand out of hers and stood still for a moment, then stepped forward and pulled her into his chest smiling at the way she yelped in surprise.

"Don't cry anymore." That was all he said before he let her go and left. She stared at the door longingly before falling back onto her bed, trying to take in what had just happened. The tears were still falling silently but she carried on smiling. Her phone burst into life, no longer a text tone. Someone was ringing her which didn't happen often. Minako didn't even look at the screen to see who it was.

"Hello?"

"Ah, imouto, I was worried when you didn't reply to me for a few days. Are you okay?" She gasped, sitting up quickly. The sound of her older brother's voice was so unfamiliar to her, they usually just emailed each other and she had been doing that less and less as she had more work to do.

"Nii-chan! I'm fine; I've just had a lot of work to do. What's up?" she asked, feeling restless now.

"Nothing, I just said you didn't reply to my messages for a few days. Don't sound so surprised…" he laughed softly before yawning.

"Tired as usual?"

"Maybe a little hungry too. I've had a lot of work from college," suddenly she heard yelling in the background.

"Minato! Minato! I've just about had enough of you cleaning out the fridge on your days off," it was her aunt, Miyuki.

"Oh, sorry, Auntie! I'm on the phone to Minako…" he replied to their aunt, Minako listened with a smile.

"Minako? Tell her a phone call every few weeks wouldn't hurt! Just because she's living it up in the big city doesn't mean she can forget her family…" her aunt was off on a rant again.

"I think I have to go. But Auntie's right, you know. You should call. Maybe I could come see you next time I have a break from college," Minato explained quietly. His sister thought about it for a moment, looking over at her desk at the other picture, the one of her and her brother.

"That'd be nice, nii-chan, I'll talk to you later," she hung up, getting lost in her own memories.

"_Nii-chan! Let's go play tag!" she rushed up to her brother's room, he looked over at her from his position of lying on his bed. _

"_Why'd you wanna do something like that? It's Sunday, we could just sleep or maybe Auntie's cooked something nice today…besides you're in middle school now. Tag is for kids" Minako stood pouting, her arms folded. _

"_But, nii-chan, you said you'd play with me more. Besides you know that's not why I want to play…" his grey eyes studied her for a moment before he flicked his blue fringe out of his face._

"_Compromise, we'll play my new video game…" he sat up awaiting her reply. She sighed smiling slightly._

"_Fine but I get to be player 1," Minako ran to her brother's side, sitting next to him._

"_Whatever," he yawned, resting his head on hers. _

Minako smiled fondly before returning to her studies, patiently awaiting the time before she could eat with Shinjiro. The Dark Hour had set in and she knew it'd be over soon. She reached into the animal cracker packet and pulled yet another one out.

"Oh sweet! The penguin!" she laughed before eating it. She had eaten so many animal crackers she'd found about 20 penguins in her time at Iwatodai alone. All of a sudden the sickening green world turned back to life.

"_If heaven and hell decide,_

_That they both are satisfied_

_Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs_

_If no one's there beside you when your soul departs,_

_I'll follow you into the dark…_"

It was a sign that the Dark Hour really was over when her MP3 player shone to life again. She waited until the end of the song to head downstairs. As she was heading down Akihiko walked past her.

"Ah, Minako-chan, where are you off to?" he grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Oh I'm gonna make some dinner before I go to bed. How'd it go with Chidori?" the girl asked, looking around for anyone else.

"Not good I'm afraid. We'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm off to bed. Good night, Minako-chan,"

"Night senpai…Akihiko…" she bowed and carried on downstairs.

Just before she reached the last step she heard sizzling of onions frying in oil. She took a deep breath in to savour the smell; slowly she popped her head round the door.

"I know you're there, Minako…idiot," he called, not even turning around to face her.

"I was wondering when I'd be called an idiot again. What're we having tonight then?" she asked, jumping backwards onto the counter near the door. He looked over to her.

"Curry. By the way, what's with the bandages? Did you hurt yourself?" He asked. His voice was strained from not snapping at her.

"Nah, I cut my hands open earlier by accident and Akihiko-senpai cleaned up the cuts and gave me these, what's wrong?" she tilted her head in confusion.

"Nothin' it's just…Do you realise that you shouldn't sit on a kitchen counter? People prepare food there…Moron," he whispered the last part to himself yet she smiled as if she knew what he'd said.

"You're the only one who prepares _anything_ in this kitchen. Fuuka tries but I don't think what she makes can be legally classified as food yet…" the girl shuddered at the thought of some of the things Fuuka had tried to pass off as food. Shinji caught her reaction and smiled.

"That bad, huh?" but Minako shook her head.

"She has heart. She'll keep on trying. We're in a cooking club together, when I say club I mean…Me and Fuuka break into the home economics room and cook there…It's not a club so much as a pair of girls breaking school rules in order to prepare food and potentially, some sort of bio-weapon," she laughed, she did love Fuuka dearly but as an admirer of food as an art form her skills needed considerable work.

Shinji continued to cut pieces of chicken swiftly, all the while cooking rice and making sure the other ingredients didn't burn. Minako marvelled at his multi-tasking and precision. He noticed the admiration he was being subjected to.

"What're you gawking at? It's just cooking…" he stared at her for a moment, eyes narrowed. But her crimson eyes just gazed back at him complacently.

"I was just wondering…about earlier…" he knew he'd have to explain himself sooner or later.

"Earlier was just me being nice for a change. It happens. Get over it," her expression seemed to dampen slightly. All she muttered was a quiet "Oh…" he wasn't sure what he could say to her though. Well, that was wrong. There was a lot he could _say _to her. But his pride and his body refused to let him. He knew perfectly well he wasn't going to be around for long. It'd be better to hurt her now and keep her away than to let her get close and then have her be alone again.

That's what he'd kept telling himself over and over. And yet when he saw her upset, it made him loathe himself even more. He still had at least another month. He'd have to go through a month of hurting her again and again. Her stubbornness meant she wouldn't just give up though.

"Why do you even bother?" Shinji asked aloud. She tilted her head in curiosity like usual.

"Why do I bother with what?" Minako was baffled from his sudden query. He'd been deep in thought a moment before though.

"With talking to me." He replied bluntly. "There's nothing you gain from it. You should be out having fun," he was being deadly serious.

_So why the hell is she smiling?_

"Because I do gain from it. I enjoy our talks. Staying in and talking to you is just as fun, if not more, than if I go out and stuff my face with food somewhere. It's also cheaper. Don't you enjoy our talks?" she retorted, she was back to trying to gauge his reaction again.

"I never said that. Don't try that shit with me," he snapped back but he smiled at her. Shinji was done with talking to her for a while though as he turned his concentration back to cooking. Minako was fine with the comfortable silence they'd fallen into. She placed one headphone in and decided to listen to her music for a while.

"_In the middle of summer,_

_All was golden in the sky_

_All was golden when the day met the night,_"

She couldn't help but smile as she realised what song was on. After 3 songs their meal was ready. The girl rushed to her seat, unplugging her MP3 player as she did.

"You act like you haven't eaten in days," Shinjiro joked as he placed her plate in front of her, seeing that hunger in her eyes.

"It feels like I haven't, ya know. I can't wait for tomorrow night's meal," she laughed, he couldn't help but grimace though.

"Would you stop making plans to eat with me? I did say I'm not gonna feed you all the time," he warned however she just laughed it off after a bite of his elegantly prepared meal.

"You say that and yet your eyes say otherwise," it was his turn to be confused.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah they say to me that you like cooking for other people," she left him with that thought as she settled down to enjoying his curry.

"You're hopeless," he muttered as they finished eating. Again she returned his sour comments with a giggle. He glanced at her; her carefree smile wasn't fake anymore. She sincerely looked happy. He was glad he'd done that much.

"Hey, Shinji, you know you've been smiling more than usual tonight," she suddenly said as he picked up the plates.

"Like I said, it happens, get over it," he expected her to leave him to clean up like she had done before, instead she followed him into the kitchen and watched him wash up as well. Minako was silent as she did though. His behaviour was strange and she could tell something was on his mind.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked as he put the plates back, grabbing the arm of his coat as she did.

"I'm fine. Worry about yourself for a change," he tried pulling his arm back from her but she tightened her grip instead.

"You're part of my team. You'd tell me if something was bothering you, wouldn't you?" her eyes looked deep into his. It was just a reflection of her own feelings. He was alone, worried and deep down something was scaring him. She knew these feelings all too well and as much as she dealt with them on her own it pained her to see someone else going through the same emotions.

"Sure, whatever, just let go of me," Shinji was unnerved from the way she seemed to be looking through him. She was still gripping his coat, unsatisfied by his answer. Those crimson orbs forcing him to look away. "Minako, I know I'm part of your team but I ain't gonna spill my problems to you. You've got your own," gentle chiming and the fluttering of a butterfly flooded her senses for just a few seconds. All he saw was her eyes widening in fear of some unseen evil. Her hand quivered, it was his chance to pull himself out of her grasp but he didn't.

"What just happened?" his voice filled the emptiness the butterfly had brought with it. She jumped in surprise and pulled her hand back as though she'd been burnt.

"Nothing...I should get to bed," she muttered, staring at the floor. Minako took off, running up the stairs and quickly to her bedroom. She stood with her back against the door, panting heavily from fear, sudden exertion and her feelings about Shinjiro overwhelming her. She clenched her eyes shut, hoping when she opened them she would be somewhere else, anywhere else.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Shinjiro just stood in shock. Slowly he headed up to his room, forcing his mind to think of something, anything other than Minako or whatever had just happened. He shut his door and laid down on his bed. He wasn't sure how long it'd take for these feelings to leave him alone but he was determined that they'd be gone. Even if it meant forcefully ripping them from him, his fists clenched in frustration.

_I won't leave anything behind...anything..._but even he was starting to lose faith in his own code. Shinji gave in to sleep, hoping that he'd wake up the next morning and he'd be the emotionless person he'd always wished he could be.

* * *

**Minako's Room**

Minako felt like she'd been standing against her door for hours. Gradually she got herself ready for bed and gazed out of the window while lying down in bed. The moonlight that filled her room made her feel soothed somehow and after a little while longer she put her headphones in and fell asleep.

"_I haven't lost anything except my mind,_

_Expect a thousand confessions that you will not find._

_I try to take off my head sometimes._

_Because I can't escape the memories, _

_I haven't lost anything except my mind..._

_You can be empty _

_And I can be right there empty with you._"

* * *

**You know I update pretty quickly...Maybe I should leave it a few weeks before I settle down to write the next chapter. I'm joking of course. Me and Samson would never do that to you! Yeaaa...Samson does nothing really but I'm sure he can be an inspiration for me sometimes. He's just upset I named the stray cat in this story after his sister LuLu and not him XD Cheer him up with a review and he will hug you...Somehow...Unless you have allergies. He's very fluffy.**

**~ The Detective Prince **(Apparently she feeds her cat freshly cooked chicken...)**  
**


	8. Chapter 7: Near To You, I am Healing

Hello again! I was going to upload this on Valentine's Day but I was busy as it was my best friend's birthday so I spent the last couples of days with him instead. Sorry! It has been a while though, my mind's been all over the place lately and I'm writing two other stories at the moment as well. Forgive me and Samson, please. We promise it won't happen again in the foreseeable future! This is Chapter 7...Part one. OH SNEAKY! I'm doing a two parter because this one is only half a day and I always like to end at the end of a day so Minako can be tucked up in bed with a final song to catch the mood of it all. =^.^= The Detective Prince likes to play with your hearts, my dearies. SO! Title is from Near To You by A Fine Frenzy which I was listening to when I wrote this and part way through are the openiing lyrics to Blow Away by A Fine Frenzy too. I own nothing because I am dirt poor and well, a writer. XD

**~ The Detective Prince**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Near to You, I am healing**

By the time Minako awoke the next morning she _knew _she was going to be late for school. Hastily rushing down the stairs she found that everyone else had left already and that all that was left in the Dorm was Shinjiro and Koromaru.

"You're late this morning. You do realise school has already started, don't you? You're hopeless..." Shinji scoffed as she ran into the lounge, tripping over herself and falling to the floor.

"I was up late last night...Oh you know, you were there. Erm, where's my homework for Mr Ekoda...Dammit I was sure I put it in here last night..." still laying on the floor she scrambled through the books and loose paper in her bag, desperate to find her homework.

"See _this _is why I don't even bother with school..." he teased, getting up and picking her bag off the floor before glancing down at her. "C'mon, you idiot, get up already. Take a minute to calm down and then try to look for it," he scolded. Slowly the girl got up and took her bag from him.

"Okay...Homework...Right it's not in my Classics book...So where is it? Don't tell me I accidentally wrote it in my math book again...No..." Shinji could see she'd started to panic again.

"Did you even do your homework yesterday?" he sighed. The more he watched her, the more painfully shameful it was to view her as the Leader of a group of fighters trying to defend the city from Shadows.

"Yes! I was studying. I remembered I had an essay to do and then...I did my math homework and I was going to do it after that but my math work took longer than I thought and I was going to start it when...I found the Penguin! The Dark Hour was over and I left to eat with you...Dammit I didn't do my homework!" she despaired, falling to her knees in shame.

"So what? Just skip his class..." Shinji advised, taking her bag off of her.

"I can't skip class. I don't even take a day off school if I'm ill. I haven't taken a day off school since I came out of a coma in May. The _next day _I was back at school, I'll never achieve my dreams if I skip school," she explained, almost horrified by his suggestion.

"I haven't been to school in over a year. Take a day off, finish your homework and then just relax for a day. I'm not saying make a habit out of it I'm just saying do it today,"

"No. Out of the question, I can't do it," she shook her head furiously.

"I'll make lunch for you," he offered, she paused staring up at him.

"Lunch...No I can't!" she was beginning to sway towards his way of thinking for a moment.

"Fine, breakfast now, lunch later and Hagekure for dinner..." her lip was quivering as he spoke these forbidden words.

_How can I possibly choose food over my own education! _She screamed in her head while her stomach replied with an angry growl.

"Can I talk to you while I do my homework?" she whispered almost as though the Disciplinary Committee were actually in the room listening to their conversation.

"Fine, whatever," he sighed, sitting back down on the sofa. Koromaru barked happily.

"Don't you dare tell Aigis that I skipped school because of food!" Minako warned the dog, who tilted his head in confusion. She sat beside Shinjiro and pulled out her classics book and got down to writing, barely noticing he'd left to cook breakfast.

He came back with some sushi rolls for her which again she took without looking up. He didn't even mention her silence, glad to have some peace around her.

For almost two hours the two sat in perfect silence. She got several texts from Junpei in which she explained she was feeling very unwell and couldn't go to school that day. He seemed to buy her excuses.

Minako finished her homework with a heavy sigh.

"Well that sorts that problem out. So, Shinji, what'd you want to do today?" she asked glancing over at him. He looked up from a magazine he was reading.

"I usually just sit here or go out for a walk," he replied with a laugh.

"Want to take Koromaru for a walk down to the shrine?" the girl stood up, feeling more pumped now she had caught up, she took off her school blazer and her bow in order to seem more casually dressed.

"Whatever, c'mon, boy," he tapped the side of his leg, beckoning the dog over to them as they reached the door. Gleefully Koromaru bounded up to them and out of the door they held open for him.

"You really care about him, huh?" she said, almost to herself.

"He's less of a pain than you lot," he scoffed as they both walked down to the shrine. Minako held his arm; he sighed but didn't pull away from her.

"I know you care about us all, Shinji," was all she said on the subject.

"No, I care about Aki..." he trailed off, stopping himself from finishing the sentence. She gave him a curious look though. Her phone went off again; she took it out and found a text from her brother.

_Heya imouto. Sorry about the phone call the other night, seemed I startled you. How're you?_

"Junpei again?" Shinji asked with a slight laugh.

"No, my brother," there was silence for a moment.

"You have a brother?" she nodded.

"His name is Minato. He lives with my aunt back in the suburbs. He's very busy with college; he's studying to be a teacher. He's able to influence so many people so easily I think it's a great thing for him to want to do," Minako explained, a gentle smile on her face.

"Guess that trait runs in the family then," he said, looking up at the steps to the shrine that Koromaru had already climbed.

"Hm? I do that too. Maybe he doesn't realise as well. Say Shinji, you're getting into a bad habit, you know that?" she laughed.

"Which one are you talking about?" he inquired, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket with his free hand.

"Being nice to me, you know I think you ought to add me to that list of things you care about," the pair made their way over the bench and sat down, again in silence.

"You're such a pain, I'm not always gonna be around to look after you so don't get used to it," Shinji scoffed suddenly, looking down at her hand still clutching his arm.

"I know that you don't mean what you're saying, so stop it and enjoy the time you have for once instead of constantly being worried about what'll happen," she had no idea what she'd said had hit home for him.

"Enjoy the time I have, eh?" he burst into laughter all of a sudden, she looked at him in bewilderment.

"Did I say something funny?"

"No, you don't even realise what you say sometimes," his laughter softened much like his gaze as he looked at her. "So you're saying I should just, give up worrying about my actions and do whatever I like?" she nodded.

"You don't go to school because you don't want to but everything else you do seems to be carefully thought out, it'd be nice if for once...You weren't so meticulous all the time, a little more like me ya know," Minako smiled up at him as he leant back on the bench, she rested her head on his shoulder as he looked down at her.

"What am I doing sitting here like this with _you_?" he asked rhetorically. She gave an answer anyway, he knew she would.

"By the looks of it and sounds of it, you're enjoying yourself for once. You let your guard down for once, it's nice," her eyes were shut as she felt the warmth of the sun douse down upon them. She was done fighting her feelings; she would just enjoy them as they came along. She could sense he'd had the same thought.

"Minako," he said suddenly, she opened her eyes smiling at him. Gently he brought a hand up to rest on her cheek. "You're really telling me to do whatever I want?" she nodded.

"That's an order from your honourable Leader, Shinji," the girl joked. He gently pressed his lips to hers. She hadn't been caught completely off guard but she hadn't expected it either. There was such warmth and softness in the way his hand brushed over her hair, how he took in a deep breath, she was taking every tiny detail in while it lasted. Slowly but surely she parted her lips and allowed him to kiss her deeper, their tongues intertwined. A slight moan escaped her. Her heart pounding in her chest, all of this felt so familiar.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick...tock..._As the pair separated to catch their breath, she sensed the butterfly was behind her. However Minako was beyond caring about the persistent ticking in her ears.

"Did that feel at all...familiar to you, Shinji?" she asked, nervously looking down at her lap.

"You ask the weirdest questions," he chuckled, sitting forward to smoke. "Maybe a little, why?" he looked back at her, a dark look of deep thought on her face. "Did I upset you?"

Minako shook her head. "No, I enjoy being around you and...Well...that. But it's just, those dreams really do haunt me sometimes," he said nothing. Koromaru appeared suddenly, rushing towards the two.

"You're done, boy? Wanna get going? Shinji owes us lunch," she declared, happily jumping up. "Want me to go on ahead while you finish that?" he nodded and watched her leave with the dog.

_I try not to leave anything behind and I hurt her...I give in to all these annoying feelings and she's happy for a while then she gets hurt...I'm happy for a while as well but that's not the point. All these stupid decisions...Maybe I should take her advice and just do whatever I want, but that'd be selfish..._He thought to himself bitterly. She seemed so happy today though that he couldn't help but give in, he'd do whatever he wanted. He was done hurting her. There was no way he'd be able to continuously do it for a month without driving himself insane. He pulled out a small pill and stared down at it. They'd be the death of him he knew but what choice did he have?

* * *

**Back at the Dorm**

"Oh Koromaru, you're such a good dog, but like I said not a word of this to anyone, okay?" Minako laughed, patting the dog's head as they walked into the dorm. She got round to replying to her brother before lying on the sofa, the dog sitting at her side on the floor.

"Koromaru, what actually happened at the shrine...I mean...WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" she screamed to herself, sitting up abruptly. Her eyes widened as she realised what had actually happened.

"He kissed me, Koro, he did. What the hell? Shinjiro Aragaki, the moodiest person I've ever come across kissed me and why has it only just set it? What am I going to do?" the door opened behind them, she jumped up trying not to panic as Shinji walked in.

"S-so, what's for lunch?" she asked nervously following him to the kitchen.

"Rice balls, what's with you?" he looked back at the shy girl behind him.

"Nothing, I kind of just realised something," she muttered, staring at the floor. He chuckled.

"You realised what happened just now? You don't have to do it ever again if you don't want to..."

"NO! I do it's just...I don't know...What does that make us?" she asked, sighing.

"I don't know, why'd you have to label it as something? Aren't you the one who just told me not to worry about my actions all the time?" he had her there. Minako smiled up at him.

"Wow, I give great advice," she laughed, sitting on the kitchen counter just as she had done the night before, putting her headphones on.

"_One of us is gonna be here and_

_One of us is gonna be running off alone._

_To the great unknown,"_

He glanced over at her every now and again, she was just tapping her feet against the music in her ears and she seemed as though she was off in her own world like usual when she was listening to music.

Minako noticed him looking at her and smiled gently at him. There was no turning back for him now; especially since he'd told her he'd spend the day with her. He didn't mind now. He wasn't constantly on edge, he was just free to relax and not worry, even if it was only for a little while.

_Ignorance..._he concluded in his mind, _is bliss._ Just looking at Minako proved that, she had her headphones in, ignorant to all around her and she was just smiling to herself. Shinjiro was glad he'd taken one day of peace in a never ending series of hellish days. He could tell that she was too. The lingering feeling between them though told them this wasn't a permanent solution to their woes. Yet as Shinji made his way over to her and kissed her again, neither minded the temporary one they'd made for themselves.

* * *

**Ya see, I ended it nicely. Part one that is. Mwhaha. It is a short one, eh? Oh well Chapter 7.5 will be longer, I swear. So...I was talking to Samson today, he seemed a little down (And it's not because I haven't fed him chicken in a few days either, he's on a diet) I asked him what'd cheer him up and gave me this sad look with his gorgeous copper eyes and I just knew some reviews would cheer him up. XD Cheer up my cat so I don't have to buy more chicken! **

**~ The Detective Prince **(Apparently her cat has lovely eyes)**  
**


	9. Chapter 7: My Head Told My Heart

Rawr! This was a little late. It was another one of those moments, about a week ago I wrote this chapter but as I read it I realised 'Wow...this it really boring' so instead I kept what I was going to let happen but instead this chapter is about 3/4's from Akihiko's point of view. It's starting to get a little grey in his world and since that's going to kick off next chapter I thought I'd let this be a little prologue for what's going to happen then. Plus I threw in another Minako flashback. SONGS! Right since both times I wrote this chapter I was listening to Mumford & Sons this chapter is full of it. The title and final bit of the chapter is from Winter Winds. The song that plays as the Dark Hour ends is The Cave and the one after that is Thistle & Weeds. Enjoy!

**~ The Detective Prince**

* * *

**Chapter 7.5**

**My Heart Told My Head "This Time No..."**

Minako felt swept away by the events of the day as she left for work, she paused at the door turning to Shinjiro.

"I'll see you for dinner later, sorry we can't go out for Hagakure tonight..." the words came easier than they should have, she knew. The others were at the hospital except for Ken who was doing his homework. As she looked over to the lounge to Shinji though it felt surreal, like the rest of the day had been just a dream and now she was awake. But that knowing smile he gave her told her otherwise.

"Sure, whatever, you'd better go before you miss work as well, idiot," she left with a grin heading down to Chagall Cafe.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Akihiko walked through the city alone. They'd got nothing from Chidori which was hardly a surprise, so instead he tried to still the raging storm of thoughts and doubts in his mind.

He hid away behind Port Island station, his shaking hands covering his face. There was something going on and it involved the two people closest to him yet he couldn't tell what it was.

The boxer checked his phone finding a text from Minako, the mere fact she'd bothered to text him forced him to smile just a little.

"_Hope it all goes well with Chidori, I need to talk to you though. Can you meet me after work?" _

He read it through a few more times, and then checked the time. He had a chance to catch a meal before he'd go pick her up from the Cafe.

When Akihiko reached Hagakure though he met the other person raking his brain, sitting next to Shinji with a light sigh.

"It seems like even though we're living together again, we haven't had the chance to talk properly in a while," the boxer pointed out a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Yea well, it's been busy..." Shinji replied cold as usual. Something else popped into Akihiko's mind suddenly.

"Say, were you in today? I was just wondering if you knew why Minako-chan missed school today..." his grey eyes were trained on his friend, waiting for any sign of hesitance.

"Nah, I had shit to do. Besides I'm not gonna baby-sit your precious Leader," he scoffed; Akihiko was at a loss once more. Just like the night before with Minako he couldn't tell if Shinji was lying or not.

"How many times do I need to tell you to treat her with respect? She's strong, even you know that!" he snapped angrily. His friend just shrugged and they ate their unplanned meal together in silence.

"I'm off, I've gotta pick some stuff up. Also Aki..." Shinji paused as they left the shop.

"What is it?"

"Stop worrying about her so much. You'll just make yourself cry..." Akihiko watched him walk away. He was still nowhere closer to finding out the truth, feeling like he was trapped in an unfathomable fog. He knew it was out there, however he didn't have the means to reach it.

Still in a swirl of thoughts he made his way to Chagall Cafe, Minako sitting at the fountain apparently waiting for him with her headphones on like usual.

"Hey, Minako-chan, you wanted to..." he stopped as the whole world plunged into the Dark Hour once more. It was then that she noticed him, her MP3 Player having stopped working.

"Akihiko-senpai, you came! How'd it go with Chidori?" she asked, her warm smile seemed more genuine to him than usual. She tapped the bench beside her, inviting him to sit with her.

"It didn't go well at all, she's still not talking. It's really taking a toll on Junpei as well. Is that...all you wanted to talk to me about?" he was nervously looking down at his hands, his Leader taking notice of this touched his arm lightly, forcing him to look into her crimson eyes.

"No, I wanted to ask you a few things. Erm..." she sighed trying to find the words within her. "Do I space out a lot?" that was her first question, an easy one no doubt.

"Yea, you do..." he laughed gently not quite sure why she seemed so serious about the topic. "But we're all used to it by now, it's not a bad thing," he reassured seeing her frown a little at his answer.

"So...You guys don't mind?" he shook his head, still laughing a little. Minako stood up, looking down at him.

"Do you mind if we walk?" Akihiko stood up and the pair wandered through the silent, sleeping city. "Did you know that one of the reasons I moved here was because I hoped the Dark Hour wouldn't be here? I hate the silence of it all..." she flinched at the memory pushing to the surface. It was hazy, far too hazy for her liking.

"_Mina-chan, we've got to get back quickly, apparently Mina-kun is sick," her mother said quietly, looking back at her from the passenger seat of the car. _

_Her brother had always been a little frail so the fact that he was ill again, the reason he hadn't joined them on her birthday meal, didn't come as a surprise._

"_It's okay! I'll make sure he feels better!" she promised her parents with a smile. All of a sudden the world was doused in a sickening green light._

"_Mama! Papa!" she cried out as the car spun out of control. The next thing she knew, Minako was lying on the side of the road staring at the fiery wreckage, tears cascading from her eyes. All she could hear was the crackling and burning of the vehicle before her. Her life was literally in flames before her. _

_And then..._

Minako stood still trembling. Akihiko turned and grabbed her shoulders.

"Minako-chan...Are you alright?" just like that night she couldn't stop her tears.

_10 years ago...Why am I still crying? _

"I'm sorry, senpai. I was just thinking about something..." she trailed off, trying so hard to stop crying but the tears were bitterly persistent.

"D-do you want to talk about it?" he asked, his slate grey eyes were staring at her filled with concern. But as much as she wanted to she couldn't bring herself to tell him what was bothering her. She just shook her head and then hugged him, holding on tightly. She remembered that when she was little and she had the same thoughts she'd do the same to Minato.

"I'm being an idiot right now aren't I?" Minako whispered, thinking about what Shinji would say to her.

"No, c'mon...Let's go back to the Dorm..." Akihiko replied, nervous at how close they were and how tightly she was holding onto him. It was making him blush slightly and not sure what else he could do, he took her hand and the pair walked back slowly.

By the time they reached the Dorm the Dark Hour faded away.

"_And I'll find strength in pain,_

_And I will change my ways._

_I'll know my name when it's called again..._"

Her MP3 Player bursting into light and sound.

"Thank you, Akihiko...And I'm sorry for earlier," she said, before she let go of his hand.

"It's fine, I mean you being upset isn't fine but if you need to talk to me, I'll be here for you. Please try and remember that much at least..." he was feeling saddened once more at the prospect of letting her go, feeling selfish at the thought.

As Minako walked in though, Junpei, Fuuka, Aigis and Yukari sat waiting for her.

"Hey! You're alive!" Junpei exclaimed, jumping up to greet her.

"We were worried so we thought we'd wait up for you, also here. I made a copy of my notes from today for you" Yukari added, Koromaru seemed awake as well, barking his own greeting.

"Oh thanks guys, but really you should all get some rest. I've got tomorrow off so we'll be heading into Tartarus okay?" Junpei couldn't hide his joy at her words, a bright grin spread across his face.

"Awesome!" he headed upstairs to get rest like she'd advised.

"I'm glad you're okay, Mina-chan," Fuuka stood up, smiling and then bowing. Minako faked her own smile.

"It's fine, thanks for waiting up," her attention was dragged elsewhere as she watched Shinji sneaking into the kitchen, avoiding the commotion.

"It appears that if you are feeling much better, your body temperature is normal and I sense no other signs of illness," Aigis spoke following Fuuka as the two walked up to their rooms.

"You should go too," Akihiko suddenly said from behind her, making her jump.

"I forgot you were behind me for a moment. Actually, Akihiko, if you don't mind I think I'll stay down here for a moment to collect my thoughts," her voice was shaking a little however he complied with her wishes and wished her goodnight before returning to his own room.

Minako sighed, walking into the kitchen.

"Well that was tiring..." Shinji turned around after placing a lid on a pot of boiling water. "What you cooking?" she jumped up onto the kitchen counter.

"I thought I'd make homemade ramen, since we were gonna go Hagakure," he noticed she'd been crying and wasn't sure whether to ask her about it or not but suddenly remembering she'd come in with Akihiko he felt like he should.

"Been crying again?" he turned his back on her to hide his concern.

"Oh...Erm...No, I'm fine,"

"Liar," he scoffed, shaking his head in disapproval. Minako wiped her eyes and sighed again.

"A bad memory that's all," he didn't push her any further on it. Shinji thought of himself as a bit of an expert when it came to bad memories. Realising he wasn't going to talk to her while he was cooking she placed on her headphones.

"_Spare me your judgements and spare me your dreams,_

_Cause recently mine have been tearing my seams,_

_I sit alone in this winter clarity which clouds my mind..._"

He watched her carefully, noting she was still very much upset. Leaving his post he stood in front of her, placing a hand on her cheek. He was almost stunned by the way she looked up at him, her eyes nearly begging him for comfort.

"Stop crying," he warned, taking off one of her headphones so she could hear him. Minako parted her legs slightly so he could move closer to where she was sitting.

"Make me..." she sighed, suddenly caught by surprise as he kissed her. Even though it'd been just hours since they'd last kissed to her it still felt completely new. She pulled him closer to her, seeking comfort from their closeness. He realised what she'd meant earlier. This all made him feel nostalgic and he wasn't sure why. He held her as tightly as he could without crushing her, and for that she was thankful, responding to his tongue gently caressing her own with a soft moan.

Shinji was savouring every moment, in the back of his mind he knew it'd never last. Not for her. His fate hung over him like a knife teetering closer and closer to the edge, it'd fall and he knew it'd be over when it did. But for now, he held on close to Minako and the comfort and warmth she desired. She removed his hat and ran her fingers through his hair; the feel of her touch was almost intoxicating. He could barely take anymore, pulling away to catch his breath.

She grabbed his hands as he took a step back. The familiar ticking noise had returned but she wouldn't run this time.

"It's happening again..." Minako whispered to him. As she shut her eyes the vision of the butterfly returned. It was getting closer and closer to her now, closer than it'd ever gotten.

_Remember..._

Her eyes snapped open, she let got of his hands and allowed him to return to his cooking without another explanation.

* * *

**Later -Minako's Room-**

As Minako reached her room, she checked her phone to see a text from her brother.

_Imouto! What do you say to me coming to see you on Sunday? I've got Saturday and Monday off from college because of self-study days. _

She laughed at the prospect of seeing him again, telling him she'd be glad to see him again. With a date settled she put her phone on charge and placed it on her desk, taking a quiet moment to look at the picture of her parents.

"I think I'll be okay..." she muttered to them before getting ready for bed.

She leapt onto her bed and as usual placed on her headphones, her hand lingering for a moment on the one that Shinji had taken off of her. A faint smile appearing on her lips as she recalled the events of the day once more. A tiny click of her MP3 Player and the world was musical once more.

"_Oh the warmth in your eyes,_

_Swept me into your arms. _

_Was it love or fear of the cold,_

_That led us through the night? _

_For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt..._

_And my head told my heart..._

'_Let love grow'..._"

"Maybe..." she murmured to her pillow before drifting off to a blissful and dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Ah! Me and Samson would like you to know something. This story has had nearly 2000 views and we are absolutely blown away by that number so we just want to thank you! We see the alerts and faves as well and we're really glad that you're enjoying this because well...we're enjoying writing it. My music teacher once said to me "It's fantastic if you love your work but it feels that much better when you know other people enjoy it as well." So thankies! =*.*=**

**~ The Detective Prince **(Apparently she uploaded another story and it turns out she plays more than Persona!)**  
**


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